Green vegetable consumption is very low in kids under the age of five.

 

Following a new CDC report, children under the age of five are not getting sufficient greens, but they are drinking sugary drinks.

 

Based on a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children under the age of five in the United States are depriving themselves of essential nutrition by drinking sugary drinks and avoiding fruits and vegetables.

In 2021, researchers surveyed the parents of over 18,000 children ages 1 to 5, asking them how many times their child ate fruit, vegetables, and sugar-sweetened beverages in the previous week.

On Thursday, the findings were published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Parents said that nearly half of their kids did not eat a vegetable every day, and approximately each did not eat a fruit every day.

 That week, 57% of the children drank at least one sugar-sweetened beverage.

The scientists found that a 1-year-old is more likely than older children in that age group to consume a fruit or vegetable every day and is less likely to consume a sugary drink. 

According to Heather Hamner, senior author of the study and a senior health scientist at the CDC, the findings varied by state.

"We've never had state-level estimates on these behaviors before," Hamner said. "This is an excellent time to consider the programs and policies that states have in place, as well as areas where they can continue to work and improve to make the nutrition environment the best it can be for our young children."

Assess the survey state by state.

According to the report, more than half of children in 40 states plus Washington, DC had consumed a According to the report, more than half of children in 40 states and Washington, DC had consumed a sugar-sweetened beverage in the previous week. Mississippi had nearly 80% of children drinking at least one sugar-sweetened beverage in the previous week, while Maine had the lowest rate of sugary drink consumption: 38.6%.

In terms of vegetables, the report discovered that more than half of children in 20 states did not consume a vegetable every day during the previous week.

In Louisiana, nearly three out of every five children did not consume a vegetable on a daily basis, according to parents. A similar finding was found for fruit, with nearly half of Louisiana children not eating a fruit every day.

Vermont had the highest rates of fruit and vegetable consumption among children aged one to five.

 

The affect of food sufficiency

Based on the report, there seem to be vast differences in vegetable and fruit consumption based on race and household food sufficiency.

Parents of Black children were more likely than White parents to report that their children did not eat a daily vegetable or fruit.

According to the report, approximately 70% of Black parents reported their child drinking a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once in the previous week.

"Compared to children living in food-sufficient households, those living in marginal or low food sufficiency were less likely to eat either a daily fruit or vegetable and were more likely to consume sugar sweetened beverages during the preceding week," the report states.

Increasing consumption

To support their development, young children require specific nutrients from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

According to the CDC and USDA nutrition guidelines, children aged 2 to 3 should consume at least one cup of fruit and one cup of vegetables per day, while children aged 4 to 8 should consume 1.5 cups of each daily.

"Limiting or reducing added sugar foods and beverages, including sugar-sweetened beverages, is important because added sugars are associated with an increased risk of obesity, dental caries, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease," according to the report.

As per Hamner, the key to increasing food and vegetable intake among youngsters under the age of five is in the hands of their parents.

"We've discovered that it can take up to ten attempts for a child to like a new food," she said. "It is critical to continue to try to expose young children to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables."

It can also help to provide foods with a variety of tastes and textures so that children can increase their intake and better understand what they prefer.

Parents should not feel obligated to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Frozen and canned foods are excellent ways to include nutrition in every meal.

Providing these essential vitamins and establishing a healthy food foundation for your child has a long-term impact.

"One of the most important things is these early dietary behaviors," Hamner said. "This is really when kids are laying the foundation for some of those dietary behaviors, so starting out strong and ensuring that they're creating these healthy behaviors... that'll set them up as they go into adolescence and adulthood."