“Most of the teenagers I know either eat too much or a lot of the "wrong" stuff too often. I think there has been a trend generally, not just amongst teenagers, to eat more healthy. However, given the choice I think kids would rather pick up a chocolate bar or a bag of chips than some pasta or fruit.”

“It seems to me that teenagers today are making an effort to eat more healthily, although the changes are slight at this point. I do note, as a Canadian who visits the UK regularly (grew up in Derby-emigrated 40+ years ago) that the typical North American diet contains far more vegetables and salads than is the norm in the UK. That having been said, I also note that we eat too much meat here in NA.
As far as weight is concerned I think the current concerns about obesity, particularly among children, has far more to do with activity levels than diet-junk or otherwise. Where we used to walk to school children are now driven. When we had spare time we "played outside", where todays children are found sitting in front of a screen; be it on a TV, a computer, or a game console. Combine that with a reduction in emphasis in PE in the schools and you have a recipe for weight gain.”

“My lad eats much the same as I did as a teen, lots of fruit, rice, pasta, jacket potatoes. I didn't eat crisps or chocolate and neither does he for the same reason, sport. He is as athletic as I was, so eats appropriately. The other advantage is I do the shopping so don't buy crisps, biscuits or chocolate but do buy fruit and vegetables and he eats what I cook, typical boy doesn't want to cook it himself, he will help himself to fruit if he is hungry between meals.”

“While some teenagers suffer from a surfeit of food, others suffer from a shortage. In the developed world, the trend is the former. Over indulgence in food, with a tendency to hold poor eating habits, coupled with lack of sufficient exercise, results in obesity. What we need, in my opinion, is to teach children, in their first years of school, to develop sound eating habits. It is in these formative years that children learn lessons that tend to remain with them into adulthood.
Parents,too, must be made aware of the damage they are perpetrating on their offspring by allowing them to feast unrestrained and without adequate exercise.”