As for types of fruit, apples and citrus fruits accounted for almost half of children’s fruit intake, according to the study.
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The researchers also found that children and adolescents eat 1.25 cups (10.4 ounces) of fruit each day on average, and about half of that comes in the form of whole fruit.
A new study found that apples accounted for close to 20 percent of all fruit consumption among kids ages 2 to 19, followed by citrus fruit and apple juice.
This childhood fave takes an even bigger slice of the fruit pie when apple juice is added to the tally, the researchers said. Next in popularity were bananas and melons, the survey found. Avocados, which are actually berries, weren’t included because a database considered them to be vegetables, Herrick said.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables is linked to a lower risk of health complications like diabetes, stroke and cancer. That’s within the range recommended by the 2010 dietary guidelines released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which say children should eat 1 to 2 cups of fruit per day.
Researchers calculated the fruit consumption of people ages 2 to 19 by analyzing more than 3,000 responses from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2012.
Dried fruit such as raisins came in last among kids’ choices, accounting for only 0.6 percent of kids’ fruit intake, though it was more popular among 2- to 5-year olds.
Researchers also found that black children were the more likely to consume fruit juice over fruit over other races, while asian children were more likely to eat fruit over others.
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“The study can’t speak to why these differences exist”, Herrick said, but other research suggests that ethnic culture and fruit availability are major factors. It turns out apples may be a good place for parents to start.
