When I was a child, my family was big. Our house was in the countryside, so my mother and my grandmother always planted many kinds of vegetables in our yard.

At that time, meat was a little expensive, and we didn’t have enough money to eat it every day, so if meat was on the table for dinner, it was a special dinner.

We usually ate rice, many kinds of soup and other side dishes (小菜) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every meal was the same.

I would like sweet food, and I didn’t like vegetables, like most children. But if I took some vegetables off my plate, my mother would say “Don’t do that. You can’t eat the meal without vegetables. If you really don’t want this meal because of the vegetables, don’t eat dinner”.

I didn’t have any choice (选择) . I had to eat vegetables. However, I really wanted sweet food like chocolate and ice cream, so I often bought them, but I could never buy enough because my mom didn’t give me enough money. Luckily, I like vegetables and all kinds of fruit very much now. I think I have a healthy eating habit.

The weather is getting hotter. You are thirsty after playing basketball or riding home from school. A cold drink may be just the thing. But be careful of what you are drinking. Something that looks cool may not be good for your health. There are plenty of energy drinks on the market. Most of them have beautiful colors and cool names. The lists on them tell you they are helpful to your health. Sounds great!

But after a careful check, you may find that most energy drinks have lots of caffeine in them. These drinks are especially aimed at young people, students, busy people and sports players. Makers sometimes say their drinks make you better at sports and can keep you awake. But be careful not to drink too much.

Caffeine makes your heart beat fast. Because of this, the International Olympic Committee has limited its use. Caffeine in most energy drinks is at least as strong as that in a cup of coffee or tea. Possible health dangers have something to do with energy drinks. Just one bottle of energy drink can make you nervous, have difficulty in sleeping and can even cause heart problems. Scientists say that teenagers should be discouraged from taking drinks with a lot of caffeine in them.