First it was shown to us in a colorful pyramid, then a colorful plate and now our food goals and inspiration is in our Instagram feeds. The goal for what students should be eating is something taught through elementary and middle school, but now in high school, many students don’t think about what they are putting into their bodies and how it affects them.

High stress and too little time leave anyone, but especially students, struggling to ensure they are eating enough at all, let alone enough vegetables. In fact, research done by National Institutes for Health in 2013 found that 74 percent of kids aged 11-16 did not have a healthy eating pattern.

While most people dream of eating better, they don’t know where to start or what they should be eating.

The basics

Teenagers should consume anywhere from 1,800 to 3,200 calories a day, depending on age, sex and activity level, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. That means the average, moderately active high school student should consume around 2,000 calories a day.

Students should eat one and a half to two cups of fruits and two and half to three cups of vegetables a day. Additionally half of the grains eaten should be whole grains and protein coming for meat or poultry should be lean or low-fat.

What it means

In general, most students simply need to spend more time planning and thinking about what they are going to eat. Keep in mind that about half of your plate should be made up of fruits and vegetables. Many people don’t even eat any fruit or vegetables in a day, so a good place to start is just by adding a couple of servings into your routine each day. Additionally make a habit of reflecting back on everything you ate throughout the day and ask yourself if you ate enough fruits, vegetables and protein.

Reduce stress
When you’re in the middle of cramming for a test or writing a paper due the next morning the last thing you’re probably thinking about is sitting down to eat a healthy salad, but eating a balanced diet can help reduce some of that stress. Focus on eating foods that help lower blood pressure. Foods containing high amounts of potassium, magnesium and calcium are the best at this, so look to eat or drink things like oranges, leafy greens or milk.