Diets gets healthier with age

30 November -0001

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Adults do eat more healthily than they did as children.

In a study carried out over 20 years by researchers from Newcastle University looking at the diets of 200 children aged 11 and 12, then again in their 30's.

The results showed that as adults, they ate almost double the amount of fruit and vegetables and less fat and sugar as they had as children.

The study also found parents, partners and children could affect the groups attitudes to their diet.

Those who saw their parents' influence as positive consumed more fruit and vegetables as adolescents.

Whether partners were seen as positive or negative depended largely on gender, with a third mostly men, felt their partners had a positive influence on their diet, 10% mainly women said their partners' influence was negative.

Amelia Lake, a registered dietician and Newcastle University researcher, who led the research said the findings suggested that general healthy eating messages such as the five pieces a day on fruit and vegetables were getting through to most people.

Results from this study had shown that children who were high fruit and vegetable consumers maintain this intake into their early thirties.

This she felt reaffirmed the importance of the National Fruit in Schools Scheme, where children are being encouraged to eat fruit.

The work place was another area of importance because despite all the healthy eating messages, it's still easier to go to a local shop and buy a chocolate bar rather than a piece of fruit.

There is also a need to carefully target individuals who believe their lifestyle still prevents them from eating well, with a lot depending on a persons individual attitude to life.

The excuse of a lack of time is not necessarily the reason for people not attempting to eat healthily, as many working adults readily make a healthy meal in the evenings, while others with the same amount of time would feel under pressure and be inclined to send out for a takeaway.

The results suggest that the diet is really up to the individual and their personality, and that general health messages are not necessarily enough when a variety of factors are working to prevent people from eating healthily. Source: Newcastle University; quotes Amelia Lake; BBC

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