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According to a recent study published in the scientific journal Pediatrics, apples are the most popular fruits among children aged 2 to 19 years old. The study focused on an analysis of food behavior from about 3,100 kids.
In terms of percentage, 90% of total fruit consumption comes from whole fruit and 100% comes from fruit juices, which are not healthy, scientists say, as they are a mix of water and sugar and contribute to gaining weight.
The study also revealed that the apples represent 20% of fruit intake among children between 2 and 19 years old, followed by citrus and apple juices.
In spite of the fact that children prefer the healthier choice of eating the entire fruit, Bonnie Braun, a nutritionist at the University of Maryland, says that, while this is good news, parents should get more involved in the process of teaching their kids how to eat healthier, so they should give their child a boost to consume a wide variety of fruits. According to the nutritionist, this could be better made by the power of example, so the parents should do this themselves.
“Apples and apple juice alone account for 30 percent of total fruit intake,” said Kirsten Herrick, a senior service fellow from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics.
In terms of poverty status or gender, there were no major discrepancies. More precisely, males and females, kids coming from rich or poor families, displayed no differences in apple consumption. Also, a comparison was made between Asian adolescents and white, black and Latino ones in order to see if there are any differences regarding apple intake among ethnic groups.
It seems that the Asian teens get 60% of the whole fruit; the white and Latino ones get 55%, while the black teens get 43%. Interestingly enough, there are no major differences; the love for apples exists everywhere.
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