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 FAQ
What are the trends in children's eating habits and
how does this relate to their health?
With parents busy at work, preparing a healthy, enjoyable meal can become
an unwanted chore, making the option of eating out much more appealing. This
and other factors have influenced the habits of children as well as where
and when they will eat their meals. Here is just a small list of eating
trends that we found:
- An increase in children eating away from home.
- According to a study done:
- 40% of kids eat at least one meal per day away
from home.
- 42% of children ages 2-9 eat fast food on a
regular basis.
- Increase in non-citrus juices as well as SOFT
DRINKS.
- Also according to a study done:
- 41% girls and 58% of boys 6-7 years old were
surveyed and reported to consume soda on a regular daily basis.
- Favorite snacks: crackers, popcorn, pretzels,
corn chips, and
fast food.
Sodium consumption increase.
There has also been a
decrease in some key components of young children’s diets:
- Less consumption of milk.
- Less consumption of fruits and vegetables, but mostly vegetables.
- most popular: potatoes and tomato products (aka
French fries and ketchup).
- Decrease in overall nutrients needed for healthy
growth.
- lower intake of iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin A and
beta-carotene, and vitamin B6.
Iron deficiency
is linked to long term impairments in brain maturation, attention span,
intelligence scores, and school performance, as well as risk for mental
retardation.
If you want to keep your children on the right
path, you must start early and be consistent. Keep eating out to a minimum,
especially fast food, and always offer a variety of foods. Don’t forget to
eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day!
Let Neat Solutions help you and your children break
the trends!
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