Health

Kids not eating nearly enough fruits and vegetables, CDC report says

By Mallika Marshall, MD

March 8, 2023 / 5:48 PM EST / CBS Boston

BOSTON - It's important to start eating healthy at an early age but it seem our kids are falling short.

According to a new report from the CDC, nearly half of all children between the ages of 1 and 5 do not eat a single vegetable on a daily basis.

Only about a third of young kids eat fruit daily. And more than half of young children drink a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once a week.

This is a far cry from nutritional guidelines that recommend young kids eat one to two cups of fruits and vegetables a day and only rarely consume foods or drinks with added sugar, which promotes obesity, tooth decay, and heart disease.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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