Many Young Children in the United States Are Not Regularly Eating Vegetables and Fruits
By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can supply many of the vitamins and minerals young children need. That’s one reason why recommendations like Dietary Guidelines for Americans call for toddlers and preschoolers to eat one or more servings of vegetables and one or more servings of fruit every day. A 2021 survey of parents of more than 18,000 children age 1-5 years found that these recommendations are not being met by many children (1). Around 1 in 3 children did not eat a serving of fruit every day in the week before the survey was conducted. Almost half of the children did not eat a serving of vegetables every day. And, more than half (57%) of the children drank at least one sugar-sweetened beverage (like soda or a fruit drink) at least once in the past week.
Children living in households with marginal or low food sufficiency were less likely to eat fruits and vegetables every day.
The results of this study were presented for the United States as a whole and for individual states. When looked at on a state by state basis, the results are even more sobering. There are 20 states where more than half of 1-5 year-olds did not eat a daily serving of vegetables. More than half of the children In 40 states and in the District of Columbia, drank a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once in the week before the survey.
These results are concerning, not only because of their potential effect on children’s health in the short term but because of potential long-term effects. There is some evidence that children’s food preferences continue into adulthood and influence their risk of developing heart disease as adults (2, 3). It seems ironic that parents of vegetarian children are told to “carefully plan” their children’s diets. All children should have well-planned diets and all families should be able to afford nutritious food.
References
- Hamner HC, Dooyema CA, Blanck HM, et al. Fruit, Vegetable, and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake Among Young Children, by State – United States, 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023;72(7):165-170.
- Mikkilä V, Räsänen L, Raitakari OT, Pietinen P, Viikari J. Consistent dietary patterns identified from childhood to adulthood: the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. Br J Nutr. 2005;93(6):923-931.
- Kaikkonen JE, Mikkilä V, Magnussen CG, Juonala M, Viikari JS, Raitakari OT. Does childhood nutrition influence adult cardiovascular disease risk?–insights from the Young Finns Study. Ann Med. 2013;45(2):120-128.
To read more about healthy food for children see:
Tips for Parents of Young Vegans
What are Some Ways to Get Toddlers to Eat Vegetables?
Raising a vegetarian or vegan child? Join a network of vegetarian parents interested in exchanging ideas on various vegetarian topics.
