Teenagers: breaking away and building up

Not yet adults but no longer children, teenagers make up a unique population, wanting to affirm their own choices, independent from parents and the norms that are dictated to them. Food does not escape from this questioning of models offered to them, whether they come from the family circle, school, public authorities, or their peers. There is indeed a teenager culture associated with a diet of fries, pizza, fast food, and sodas that breaks away from those models and causes a risk of obesity and diabetes. However, teenage diets cannot be reduced to such a caricature. At any age, numerous factors influence dietary choices, and adolescence is no exception to that rule. It is possible for dietary behaviors to evolve sustainably.

In its file “Teenagers and Dietary Emancipation”, The Louis Bonduelle Foundation explains why it is erroneous to consider teenagers as unstructured eaters and provides tips for supporting them as they begin to make independent food choices to guide them toward a healthy lifestyle.