Study: Juice, french fries have replaced fruits, vegetables

CHICAGO Children get almost half of their vegetables from fried potatoes and almost half of their fruit from juice, according to a study published this month in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

The study, by researchers at Ohio State University, used data on 6,500 children and teenagers aged 2 to 18 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from between 1999 and 2002. The researchers found that, on average, they ate around two cups of fruits and vegetables a day, though the government recommends two to six and a half. About 46% of their vegetable consumption came from fried potatoes, and 40% of their fruit intake came from juice. By contrast, about 8% of the vegetables were dark green or orange, colors that usually indicate high nutritional content in vegetables.

The researchers found that those not getting enough fruits and vegetables tended to be male, older and living in households that made 130% to 350% of the federal poverty level. At the same time, children aged 2 to 5 consumed a lot more fruit and juice than those in the 6-11 and 12-18 age groups.

They also found disparities between racial groups: Mexican-American children consumed more fruit than non-Hispanic white children and adolescents, while non-Hispanic black children and adolescents consumed more dark-green vegetables and fewer deep-yellow vegetables than their Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white counterparts.