I have a friend who buys three pieces of pizza every day for lunch at school. He eats them like a sandwich, oil dripping from his fingers.

We are jealous of his metabolism, to be honest, but we are also worried about the copious amounts of grease he ingests. The pizza is the probably the worst contender in the school lunch line, but the cheeseburgers and microwaveable burritos aren’t much better. So why do we eat them?

The sad truth is, teenagers make minimum wage. We baby-sit for cheap rates. We mow lawns. And at the end of the day, our work earns us barely enough to treat ourselves to Round Table or Taco Bell. We eat what we can afford.

We also need to fit meals in between schoolwork and extracurricular activities. We may have time for a quick bite from a fast-food chain but not to make an elaborate, nutritious meal.

In a world obsessed with quick, cheap food, it’s tough for teenagers to eat healthy. Convenient and colorful junk food leers from supermarket shelves. Fast food joints serve as postgame hangouts. Schools support chains by selling brand name burgers and pizzas in their lunch lines.