our children are what they eat

Our Children are What They Eat

Overall Trends

We're eating too much of the wrong things and too little of the right

things. That statement is true of the population in general, but

particularly true for our children. The top 10 sources of calorie

intake for the U.S. population include such items as soft drinks,

sweetened cereal, desserts and white breads, chips, ice cream and

white potatoes.

Saturated fats comprise about 12 percent of our children's diets as

well as nearly double the recommended amounts of added sugars, which

comprise another 20 percent of daily calorie intake.

In all age groups of children 2 to 18 years old, the majority is not

meeting daily nutritional requirements. Foods that showed a decline in

consumption include milk, vegetables and legumes, and nutrient-dense

foods such as whole grains, nuts and leafy greens.

Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers

Of the age groups studies, infants and toddlers had the best

nutritional content in their diets, primarily due to formula/breast

milk and the content of introductory foods like pureed vegetables.

Preschoolers even showed an increase in servings for whole grains and

some nutritious foods.

Even so, the FITS (Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study) showed that up

to one-third of infants and toddlers aged 7-24 months did not consume

a serving of vegetables or fruit. Fewer than 10 percent consumed leafy

green vegetables, which accounts for a shortage of vitamin E in their

diets. 46-62 percent did consume a fruit juice, many of which exceeded

the 6oz per day serving size recommended by the American Academy of

Pediatricians. Diets of the children who drank more then the

recommended amounts of fruit juice showed an inadequate intake of

calcium due to the decrease in milk consumption.

As the children in this group aged, the quality of their diet

declined. Consumption of foods such as white potatoes increased.

French fries were the third most consumed vegetable at age 9-11

months, second most consumed vegetable at 12-14 months, and the most

consumed vegetable at ages 15 months and up.

The consumption of desserts also increased from 10 percent of infants

aged six months to 91 percent of those aged 19-24 months. 12 percent

of these older toddlers consumed soft drinks. Typical toddler snacks

accounted for some of this consumption. Snacks account for about 25

percent of toddlers' calorie intake in a day. The most common snack

items included milk, water, and crackers. However, snack items such as

fruit drinks, candy, chips and cookies were also consumed frequently.

Thus, often low nutrient items accounted for one-quarter of toddler

diets in the study.

Ages 6-11

Less than half of children ages 6-11 consumed the recommended servings

for any one age group. 80 percent did not meet the recommendations for

vegetables and 75 percent did not meet the serving requirement for

fruit. Among this same 6-11 age group, only 29 percent of girls and 40

percent of boys met the required servings of dairy products.

Adolescents and Up

By the time a child reaches adolescence, the state of their daily

nutrition is at its worst. This is an especially disturbing trend

because this age marks a growth period comparable to that of the first

year of life. Adolescents tend to gain approximately 50 percent of

their adult body mass, 40-45 percent of their skeletal mass, and 15 to

20 percent of their height during this period. Thus, at a critical

growth period, nutrition intake is at its worst and declining.

Adolescent girls were at the highest risk for not meeting daily

nutrition requirements, especially with regard to folate, vitamins A,

E, C, B6 and calcium. Less than half of both girls and boys in this

age group did not meet minimum intakes from each food group,

comparable to the intakes of younger children, including 80 percent

who did not meet serving requirements for the vegetable/legume food

group. According to the New York Times article "VITAL SIGNS:

NUTRITION; Adolescents Aren't Eating Their Vegetables," adolescence is

often accompanied by a notable drop off in fruit and vegetable

consumption.

Only 12 percent of girls and 30 percent of boys in this age group

consume the recommended daily allowance of dairy products. Inadequate

calcium intake during this critical growth period can lead to

inadequate bone mass and diseases later in life like osteoporosis.

The main culprit in the decrease of dietary calcium for this age group

is sweetened beverages like fruit drinks and sodas. The past

forty-year trend has shown a two-fold increase in fruit drink

consumption and a three-fold increase in soda consumption.

Currently these beverages comprise 13 percent of adolescents' daily

calorie consumption and are the single leading source for added sugars

in their diets. Adolescents consume nearly double the recommended

daily limit of added sugars. Basically, as the children grew up, their

consumption of milk decreased as their consumption of soda and

sweetened beverages increased.

Posted by The Expatriate Chef at 6.3.07