Let’s be real: most of us didn’t learn proper nutrition in school. All we’re told is to eat our veggies, drink milk, and avoid too much junk food. But that barely scratches the surface.

If I could go back in time and give my freshman-year-self a cheat sheet for better energy, clearer skin, sharper focus, and optimal development — I’d give myself this.

Here are 7 nutrition tips I wish someone told me sooner:

1. Processed Ingredients Are the Hidden Enemy

Before we get into the details, we’ve got to address the elephant in the lunchroom: heavily processed foods.

You’ve heard about them all over TikTok and Instagram. Your doctor probably mentioned them. And while some posts exaggerate, there’s a real truth behind the warnings. Ultra-processed foods — loaded with artificial sugars, preservatives, seed oils, fillers, and colorings — aren’t doing your body any favors, especially while you’re still developing.

This doesn’t mean you can never enjoy pizza or chips. But if you’re choosing between oily fast food and a juicy, nutrient-packed steak, your body will always thank you for choosing the latter — especially if you want to grow, focus, and thrive as a teen.

Watch out for these ingredients on labels:

• Processed Sugars & artificial sweeteners: High-fructose corn syrup, sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame potassium

• Preservatives: Sodium benzoate, sodium nitrate, BHA/BHT

• Artificial colors: Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1

• Seed oils: Canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil

• Refined grains & starches

• Fillers & emulsifiers: Carrageenan, xanthan gum, guar gum, cellulose gum, polysorbates

Less is more. Fewer ingredients, fewer issues.

2. Be Careful of School Lunch

Yeah, this one’s controversial.

If school lunch is your only option — or it’s free — go for it. Getting fuel is always better than starving yourself.

But let’s not pretend that those plastic-wrapped cheeseburgers are the gold standard of nutrition.

Cafeteria food often includes processed meats, refined grains, and questionable oils that have been sitting under heat lamps for hours…

Not exactly ideal for brainpower or long-term health.

That said, not all school lunches are garbage. My school offers fresh fruit daily — big win.

But whenever possible, bring your own lunch. Something simple like rice, eggs, a banana, or leftovers from home is 10x better than what’s being microwaved in the back of the cafeteria. If not, eat smart, pick the best options, and don’t stress too hard. Just be aware.

3. Eat for Growth (Your Body’s Building Itself Right Now)

This one’s huge. You are literally building your future body right now. That means you need raw materials — aka real food — to grow. What you eat becomes your bones, muscles, brain, and hormones.

If you want to maximize your growth spurt, These foods support growth and development better than any supplement on the shelf:

• Protein: Aim for ~1g per pound of bodyweight daily. Best sources: grass-fed beef, eggs, chicken, wild salmon, Greek yogurt, kefir, and organ meats like liver.

• Carbs: Go for whole, unprocessed options that fuel your energy. Think sweet potatoes, fruits, white rice, oats, sourdough bread, raw honey.

• Fats: Essential for hormones and brain development. Sources include salmon, walnuts, olive oil, butter, ghee, egg yolks.

If you’re serious about growing stronger, taller, sharper — your plate needs to reflect that.

4. Micronutrients Matter (Maybe Even More Than Macros)

We talk a lot about protein, carbs, and fats — but micronutrients are the real MVPs when it comes to growth, mood, focus, and immunity.

Micronutrients play massive roles in growth, energy, appearance, focus, and hormones. Deficiencies are more common than you think — especially among teens.

Here are some essentials most teens don’t get enough of:

• Vitamin A (liver, eggs, orange veggies): supports skin and cell growth

• Vitamin D3 (sunlight, cod liver oil, salmon): for hormones and bones

• Zinc (red meat, oysters): testosterone support + immune health

• Magnesium (leafy greens, dark chocolate): muscle + nervous system

• Iron (red meat, organ meats): oxygen transport, energy

• Calcium (bone broth, dairy, greens): bone strength

Aim to eat a colorful variety of whole foods, and you’ll start covering these bases naturally.

5. Hydration is a Hidden Superpower

Half of your (health & energy) problems can probably be solved by drinking more water.

Tired? Headaches? Brain fog? Cravings? Probably dehydration.

Dehydration can make you feel sluggish, anxious, or fatigued — and most teens are walking around chronically dehydrated.

Start with a simple rule: Drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. If you’re 150 lbs, aim for 75 oz.

Another easy method is to drink 8 ounces of water every hour for the first 10 hours you’re awake (that’s about 80 ounces of water a day).

Bonus tip: Add a pinch of sea salt, squeeze a lemon, or put a high-based salt-based electrolyte (Santa Cruz Medicinals is my favorite brand) in your water. This is especially effective if you’re sweating during workouts or sports.

6. Clear Skin Starts in Your Gut

Everyone wants clear skin. But no skin care routine can fix what’s going on inside. What you eat matters way more than what you put on your face.

Your skin reflects your gut, hormones, blood sugar, and inflammation. And all of that is controlled by what you eat.

Junk food = breakouts, puffiness, oiliness.

Clean food = glow, clarity, confidence.

I feel like a broken record repeating the same phrase of “eat clean foods” over and over again, but that’s really all there is to it.

No need to overcomplicate it. If your food is junk, your skin will feel it. If your food is clean, your face will show it.

7. Food = Focus

You know that brain fog you get after lunch? That post-snack crash or craving more even though you just downed a bag of Nerd’s Gummy Clusters? It’s not random — it’s what you’re eating.

Foods high in processed sugars mess with your blood sugar, fluctuate your hormones, zap your energy, and make your brain crave more sugar… which kills focus.

On the flip side, nutrient-dense whole foods stabilize your energy and boost mental clarity.

If you want to be more locked-in during class, you don’t need another Red Bull, you just need real food.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t need a 10/10 meal plan every day.

But if you start to understand what your body needs, and you learn to feed it with real, whole foods instead of ultra-processed junk, everything changes.

Your energy improves. Your focus sharpens. Your skin clears up. You grow stronger, faster, taller.

And most importantly — you start to feel like you’re in control.

Start small. Upgrade your habits one bite at a time. You don’t need to be perfect, just intentional.

If you want to take control of your health early, these 7 tips are your foundation. Build on them — and watch what happens.

Your future self will thank you.

This is the 15th installment in my project of publishing a mini essay every day to achieve 100 public pieces. Check out the full list here, and the previous letter here.

If you liked this post, I’m sharing more unfiltered lessons as a 17-year-old trying to figure this whole life thing out — check my other socials here🫡.