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Nutrition

You may wonder why you should eat healthy at your age. What's wrong with burgers, fries, and soda?

The fact is that poor eating habits now can set the stage for health problems in the not too distant future. For instance, did you know that heart disease can start as early as childhood? You may not get heart disease symptoms until you get older. But if you're eating a lot of unhealthy fats (like in those burgers and fries), those fats could be starting to clog your arteries right now.

Besides heart disease, unhealthy eating can lead to diseases like:

• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Stroke
• Some cancers
• Osteoporosis

So it's never too early to start eating healthy. This section can show you how to make healthy food choices and explain:

• What nutrition is and nutrients are
• What types of foods you should eat and how much you need
• How to read the Nutrition Facts label on a food package
• Healthy weight goals
• How to eat healthy at fast-food restaurants
• What to do if you are a vegetarian
• How to deal with lactose intolerance
• How to take care of your bones

Content last updated September 18, 2008

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