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U.S. children not eating enough veggies; are adults to blame?
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According to researchers at Ohio State University, U.S. children are falling short of eating the daily recommended servings of fruit and vegetables. This study, which was published in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, is probably met with little shock since 16% of children ages 2 to 19 are obese and an additional 15% are overweight according to the Centers for Disease Control.
What is perhaps more interesting about this latest research on adolescent nutrition are the varying trends to eating habits according to gender, race and ethnicity. For instance, adolescent males fare the worst when it comes to getting in their daily veggies. Non-Hispanic black children consume significantly more dark-green vegetables. And when it comes to fruit, Mexican adolescents appear to chow down on more of the sweet stuff than non Hispanic white children. Even more surprising is that the study categorizes the potato (a tuber) as a vegetable, and up to 45% of kids’ “vegetable” consumption was fried potatoes.
While the study sheds some light on kids’ nutrition, it also offers a peek into adult eating habits. After all, adults are the ones responsible for shaping and forming their children’s diets. A January issue of the Journal of Medicine illustrated an eerily similar portrait of adult eating habits. The study showed fewer than one in ten Americans meet their fruit or vegetable recommendations on a daily basis, and just like kids, the fried potato won out as the adults’ “vegetable” of choice. Obviously, the apple truly doesn’t fall that far from the tree.
Both of these studies call for far-sweeping public health initiatives and interventions to educate adults and children on the importance of healthy eating habits. While this is needed, adults need to accept their responsibility in how their eating habits are passed down to the next generation. In this way, their impetus for eating better is not just for the sake of their own health but also for their young ones.
For more info:
Medical News Today - News from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, March 2009
Mark's Daily Apple - Practical Advice for Parents
Medical News Today - News from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, March 2009
Mark's Daily Apple - Practical Advice for Parents
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