About one in three American teenagers ate no fruit at all on a given day, according to a federal report released Tuesday that tracks how children's eating habits change as they grow. The National Center for Health Statistics report on children's fruit intake found that 66.2% of adolescents ages 12 to 19 ate any fruit on a given day from August 2021 to August 2023, compared with 91.8% of children ages 2 to 5.
The gap matters because the teen years are when young people take more control over what they eat. Fruits and vegetables supply vitamins, minerals, and fiber that support growth and development, and the report notes that different fruits and vegetables contain different amounts and types of nutrients. A habit that is easy to keep in a preschooler's lunchbox may not carry into high school without some effort at home.
