Children who tend to eat the same food as their parents are found to have a healthier diet than other children, a study found.

The University of Edinburgh conducted a study on about 2,200 5-year-olds to look at their eating habits, and discovered that when children were allowed to eat what they want, the majority of them asked for high-calorie, low-nutrition foods such as pizza and chips.

“Offering separate children’s food for a main meal may result in children missing out nutritionally, for example, if vegetables are omitted,” said Valeria Skafida, a senior researcher at the university. “Eating adult meals is the most important factor in determining a healthy diet, which is a far more crucial factor than whether children eat snacks between meals, skip meals, or insisting on eating in front of television.”

The study was published in the April edition of the journal Sociology of Health and Illness.

From news reports
(khnews@heraldcorp.com)