7-Eleven, CVS, and McDonald’s: One of them is a convenience store,one is a pharmacy, and one is a fast food restaurant. But if you askteens in Boston what those three places mean to them, you’ll get onecommon answer: food. For teens, convenience has become one of thebiggest factors in deciding where to eat their next meal. Common sensesays that what’s cheapest isn’t always what’s best, but often, due tolack of funds, Boston youth will eat, for lack of a better word, junk.

Butdespite the ignorance of the larger population, some teens arebeginning to learn the physical benefits, and, yes, good taste, ofeating healthy. At three Dorchester locations -- the ReVision UrbanFarm, a single acre spread across three lots; the Fields CornerFarmer’s Market; and the Codman Square Farmer’s Market -- teens thissummer were found learning not only how to grow and sell fresh produce,but also how to build a healthy diet that will serve them for theirwhole lives.

Nicole Blount, from Burke High School, andAshley Shauna Deleon, from Boston Latin, are two 17-year-olds whoworked at the Codman Square Farmer’s Market, where they reaped thebenefits of eating freshly grown produce. “I’ve stopped going toMcDonald’s,” says Blount. “For a snack, I have my mom buy blueberries,and peaches, and other fruit.”

The alternative tothat is a lot of fat and calories, making it a perfect recipe for heartdisease and diabetes, according to the U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services. The Harvard School of Public Health reports that heartdisease is the number one killer of men and women in the U.S.

Asa result of the giant “green” movement, a lot more research has beenrevealed. According to the Princeton University website, the lack ofpesticides in organic foods makes them both safer and more nutritiousto eat, while simultaneously helping the environment.

Now,teens are spreading the word about the virtues of nutritional food.“It’s good for you, and it’s good to not eat junk food all the time,”says Treyvon Clegg, a 15-year-old from Mattapan who worked at both theReVision Urban Farm and the Fields Corner Farmer’s Market.

Cleggsays he is trying to change the eating habits of a friend who doesn’tlike fruits and vegetables. “I say, ‘You should eat healthy,’” saysClegg. “Of course junk food is good, but it’s not good for you....Yeah, before I never used to eat vegetables, but now I do. I’ve learnedfresh vegetables taste good, too.”

But often, theproblem with healthy foods isn’t even their taste or price, but theirgeneral availability. In some neighborhoods, supermarkets -- let alonefarm stands – are scarce. Clegg, who has often seen people choose theconvenience store to shop, says, “There should be more farms in thecommunity, not just corner stores.”

While it’simpossible to keep people from going to McDonald’s or Burger King, someteens say others should stop and think about what they’re putting intotheir bodies. Deleon says that working at a farmer’s market has openedher eyes to the food she’s eating. “Now that I have this experience,I’m more open, and more wary, of fast food chains,” she says. “Likesometimes, I’ll think, ‘What does KFC or McDonald’s put into theirstuff?’”