You won’t be surprised with the answer.
A new global analysis reveals children and adolescents are eating low amounts of healthy plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes…
Between 20–25% of all deaths among adults are attributable to poor diets high in red and processed meat and sugary drinks, and low in fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds and whole grains.
Adhering to a healthy diet is associated with a decreased risk of major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
… “dietary habits established during childhood can influence health throughout life”.
“We found that consumption of healthy plant-based foods remains low among youth across the globe…"
Children in the US had among the highest average daily intakes of healthy plant-based foods while under the age of 2 (2.7 servings/day). However, these healthy habits do not persist into childhood and adolescence (1.8 servings/day).
In fact, only high-income countries saw a decrease in the consumption of healthful plant-based foods with age.
The authors suggest that factors such as youth autonomy, food environments, or cultural norms may help shape children’s diets.
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