As many as 200,000 children in England and Wales have eaten either no fruit or no vegetables in the past week.
The poll of nearly 3,000 schoolchildren aged 11 to 16 showed that 6% had eaten no fruit in the past week, while 5% had eaten no vegetables. The survey was commissioned by The Cancer Research Campaign.
On average, children in the survey were eating less than 13 servings of fruit or vegetables a week, much less than the 35 portions recommended by nutritionists and the government.
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can protect against cancer. While cancer is a disease that generally affects older people, it is so important to lay the foundations of a healthy lifestyle early on.
Carrots and sweet corn were the most popular vegetables among surveyed children, with over half picking one of these from a list as the vegetable they like most. Sprouts were by far the least favorite.
Reuters London, November 6, 2001
This report certainly is not surprising, but it does highlight an important area of children's health. One in 20 children in this survey did not eat ANY vegetables.
That number by itself would not be so bad, but when coupled with the fact that in this survey corn was classified as a vegetable. The researchers goofed as it is a grain and has all the negative consequences of a grain.
So with carrots and corn being the two most frequently consumed vegetables the numbers become significantly worse as it may be as low as one in three who are not getting any significant vegetables in their diet.
Another study showed that potato chips and French fries made up over one-third of a child's diet. With vegetable intake like this it is easy to understand why so many kids are sick.
The other sad aspect of the children's diet is the heavy orientation towards milk, juices and sodas as primary beverages.
The juices and sodas are likely to be worse for most children, but the milk is not far behind. The selection of nearly all breakfast foods for kids is another nightmare that does not improve health and hurtles most kids towards a reliance on drugs and surgery as solutions for the inevitable health complications that results from choosing these types of foods.
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