French Fries: Kids' No. 1 Veggie
By LEANNE TA
Updated 3:30 PM EDT, Mon, Mar 2, 2009
Never thought of french fries as a vegetable? Neither did we.
But according to a recent study, children are getting the majority of their daily vegetable intake from french fries. They're also getting most of their fruit intake from fruit juices.
Fried potatoes make up 25 percent of kids' vegetable consumption, while juice makes up about 40 percent of their fruit intake, USA today reports.
While kids are eating abundant amounts of french fries, they are eating far fewer deep-green and orange veggies, which carry more nutrients.
The study by Ohio State University researchers also found that children in higher-income families eat more fruits and vegetables than those in lower-income families, possibly because fresh produce can be expensive.
On average, children consume two cups of fruits, vegetables and juice a day. Government nutritional guidelines recommend 2 to 6.5 cups, based on a daily calorie range of 1,000 to 3,200.
If french fries and juice had been excluded from the study, many children would not be consuming within the recommended range, according to the article.
The study was based on data from 6,500 children and teens, ages 2-18.
First Published: Mar 2, 2009 12:34 PM EDT
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