Give Now  »

Indiana Public Media | WFIU - NPR | WTIU - PBS

Junk Food, Junk Calories: What Kids Are Eating

Nearly half of kids' energy comes from empty calories.

A new study found that children 2-18 are getting 40% of their daily intake from solid fats and added sugars - calories that put them at risk for obesity and other diet-related illness.

A study published this month in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that children 2-18 are getting 40% of their calories from solid fats and added sugars.

To visualize this, it's the same as your kids eating about 20 packets of sugar and a half a stick of butter every day. That's 365 calories from added sugar and 433 calories from solid fat.

A recent ad created by the NYC health department paints an unpleasant picture of the amount of sugar in a 20-oz soda. Keep in mind - this is less sugar than the average child is consuming each day.

The Main Culprits



The main culprits of empty calories were the following six foods: soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza and whole milk.

The daily calorie allowance for all ages recommended by the American Dietetic Association is 8-20% - far below the actual 40% the study authors found. This means that kids are getting 2-5 times the amount of calories they should from junk food rather than nutritional alternatives.

High levels of sugar and fat consumption have been linked to a risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

The study data came from the years 2003-2006, and was taken from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey .

Leave A Comment:



What do you serve your kids as a healthy snack?

Read More:





Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, and for more Earth Eats updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter!



Support For Indiana Public Media Comes From

About Earth Eats

Harvest Public Media