I have just turned 14, and I'm starting to care more about what I eat. I've always been slim, but have not always eaten healthy. When I was you get I used to have like 5 packets of crisps one after the other if I wanted to. I rarely ate fruit and veg and basically just stuffed my face with junk. I recently started reading about how eating unhealthy can lead to illnesses like heart disease and cancer, and other illnesses that are hard to reverse. I was just wandering if its too late to change my eating habits and whether changing them now will have a positive effect, or if it's too late and those illnesses have already started to develop? Thank you
Sam
Hi there,
Thanks for your letter - you've done the right thing getting in touch.
You said that you've not always eaten healthily, and it sounds like you're concerned about how this might have affected your health.
You're right in saying that unhealthy eating can lead to illnesses, but there are also lots of other things that play a part in illness that have nothing to do with food or diet. I think it's unlikely that eating unhealthily when you were younger will have had any long term impact. I'm not medically trained, so if you are worried about your health or if you've had any symptoms that you're worried about then someone like your doctor or school nurse would be best to speak to.
The fact that you are now more aware about healthy eating is a good thing. Having a healthy diet can have a positive impact on our health not only physically, but emotionally and mentally too. Having said this, it's okay to have treats like crisps every now and then too. It’s all about balance really. We have some more information about staying healthy if you wanted to have a look.
I’m glad that you got in touch and if you want to talk about this some more, our counsellors are also always available to listen to you whenever you want to talk. You can contact us on 0800 1111, online in a 1-2-1 chat or email.
Take care, Sam
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