They will probably experiment some, but they will have a preference for fresh foods like fruits and vegetables along with foods like french fries, says Rees. Once they reach 10 or 12, it's very difficult to change their habits or coerce them into eating healthier foods. Rees suggests calling a family meeting to rationally discuss steps for everyone to take and identifying the easiest things to change first, making sure the children eat foods from all the right categories. If they learn to eat a well-balanced diet, they won't need vitamin supplements, she says. However, even children who have developed a taste for nutritious food may change when they reach teenage years.
Teenagers like to experiment with everything, including risky food behavior.
They might gravitate toward highly processed foods, but once they become older and more independent they are likely to return to the healthy habits they had growing up. Other common problems among teenagers include girls who may view food as a threat to slimness, or boys who take muscle-building supplements. Also, about 25 percent to 40 percent of teenagers are overweight, mostly from lack of exercise in combination with eating too much fat and sugar.