"teenagers" news and stories

Following in the footsteps of her famous father, talk show host Montel Williams, 14-year-old Wyntergrace Williams has taken to the airwaves to solve other people's problems. But instead of counseling couples or advising addicts like Montel has done, the younger Williams is advocating for vegetarian meal options in public schools.

Williams' promo spot debuted last night during ABC Family's show "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." The 30-second PSA is part of a campaign to urge Congress to amend the Child Nutrition Act to include more vegetarian and vegan options in public school lunches. The CNA is up for reauthorization this year.

According to healthyschoollunches.org (the site that Williams is working with), though some schools are able to offer innovative school lunches that include numerous vegan and vegetarian options, some of which are even environmentally sustainable, many schools only meet the bare minimum nutrition requirements set forth by the CNA.

Energy drinks are an explosive market, especially popular among young people, including teenagers and college students. Coffee has always been the morning pick-me-up of choice, but the producers of energy drinks are trying to muscle into the morning market. Monster Khaos is an energy drink that contains 70% juice – more than many processed juice drinks. It is lightly carbonated and lower in carbs than some other ultra-sugary drinks, with flavors of orange, peach and pineapple. Monster Energy drinks have a “natural” energy formula, which includes ginseng and guarana, not caffeine. Will the fruity energy drinks be able to compete with good, old-fashioned coffee? Perhaps a better question, since they are already popular in the youth market, is whether they will be able to complete with specialty coffee drinks, like mocha lattes and caramel-hazelnut cappuccinos.