The freshmen were in for a rude awakening when they entered high school. Having had time on their hands in middle school, they were suddently rushing around to find enough time to eat. The drastic increase of work may have changed how they eat and the nutritional value of their choices.

When James Zhu was asked how he would rate his eating habits one a scale of one to ten, he responded, “I’d rate myself a six because I eat vegetables and fruit, but I also eat French fries and hamburgers. And chicken tenders. Those are my favorite.”

The amount of activities a freshman participates in can also affect food choices.

With regard to whether activities affect his food choices, Zhu said, “No, because I usually eat while I work. My mom will make food and I’ll take it up to my room and eat while I work.”

When questioned on his go-to snack and how it could be healthier, Zhu answered, “A Hot Pocket because it’s fast and easy to eat. It’s good and helps me stay full. Yeah, it could definitely be healthier. I like pears and watermelon. I could grab that instead.”

Mackenzie Czyzenski was a different case. When asked how he would rate himself, he replied, “I rate myself a seven because I don’t eat junk food. I only eat fruits and vegetables.”

Czyzenski also thinks his activities don’t affect his food choices. When he needs a quick snack, he doesn’t reach for junk food. Czyzenski said, “No, because it’s smart to eat healthy.”

Czyzenski go to snack is “fruit because it’s easy and you can carry it while eating it. You don’t have to make it. It can’t be healthier because it’s fruit.”

Noah Speller’s answer differs from Zhu and Czyzenski: I rate myself a two ‘cause I eat a lot of junk food like chips and Twinkies.”

When asked whether the number of activities he participates in affects his food choices, he said, “I’ll make myself a meal if I have time. Say if I have two hours, I’ll make myself mac and cheese and chicken, while if I have five minutes, I’ll eat a bag of chips.”

“A bag of chips. Yes, the choice could be healthier. I would grab a pineapple as the alternative because pineapple is amazing” Speller replied immediately when asked about his go-to snack.

Teenagers don’t all have time in their days to eat healthy. Whether it is sports or homework or music lessons, there is not enough time in the day to think about what they put into our mouths. A solution would be better time management and to having meal times planned out.