(The Washington Post)
American children snack almost three times a day on junk food, according to a study published today in March issue of the journal Health Affairs.
Kids are munching more and more on chips, crackers, candy and other unhealthy foods. Those snacks account for more than 27 percent of their daily calories, adding 168 calories per day to their caloric intake between 1977 and 2006.
“Such findings raise concerns that more children in the United States are moving toward a dysfunctional eating pattern, one that can lead to unhealthy weight gain and obesity.” Said Barry M. Popkin, a professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lead author of the paper, stated in a press release. “Kids still eat three meals a day, but they’re also loading up on high-calorie junk food that contains little or no nutritional value during these snacks.”
The researchers studied surveys of food intake in more than 31,000 U.S. kids from 1977 to 2006.
“In 1977 to 1978, 74 percent of children ages 2 to 18 said they snacked on foods outside of regular meals. In 2003 to 2006, that number had jumped to a whopping 98 percent,” according to the press release.
While children of all ages are eating more calories, “the largest increase was found in children ages 2 to 6, who consumed 182 more calories per day in snacks, a troubling finding that suggests an unhealthy eating pattern early in life.”
The study also found that kids are drinking less milk and more fruit juice or sweetened beverages.
Popkin recommends parents try to limit snack time to once a day for children six and older and emphasize fruits and vegetables over junk food.