Eating as a family increases the consumption of fruit and vegetables in children
Eating together as a family, even if only once or twice a week, increases the daily consumption of fruits and vegetables in children to about five recommended daily (equivalent to 400 grams), according to a study by researchers at the University of Leeds (United Kingdom), published this Wednesday in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The study, funded by the National Public Health Research Institute Program, also suggests that parents' consumption of fruits and vegetables and cutting portions of these foods to their children led to the intake of these foods in children. In general, the researchers found that 63 percent of children do not consume the amount recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) of five pieces a day.
Children who always ate a family meal at a table consumed 125 grams (equivalent to 1.5 servings) of fruits and vegetables on average more than children who never ate with their families. Even those who said they eat together once or twice a week consume 95 grams (1.2 servings) more than those who never eat with their parents.
"Even if it's just a family meal a week, when children eat together with fathers or older siblings who have learned to eat and see how they eat and the different types of food they eat, it's critical to creating their own eating habits and preferences, "says Professor Janet Cade, of the University School of Food and Nutrition Sciences, who oversaw the study.
In families where parents say they eat fruits and vegetables every day, children had an average of one serving (80 grams) more than children whose parents never or rarely ate fruits and vegetables. "Modern life often prevents the whole family from sitting around the table, but even eating just Sunday together at the table can help improve families' nutrition," says Meaghan Cristiano, who led the study as part of the of his doctoral thesis.
Children whose parents always or sometimes cut their fruits and vegetables for consumption eat half a serving (40 grams) and a quarter of a serving more, respectively, than children of parents who never prepare their fruit and vegetables. "Since dietary habits are established in childhood, the importance of promoting family food should be more prominent in public health campaigns," concludes Meaghan Cristiano.
