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Feed the Future continued...
Iron: According
to a survey by the USDA, 60 percent of children 5 years and younger,
60 percent of females 6 to 11 years old, and only 28 percent
of females 12 to 19 years old consume 100 percent or more of
the recommended daily allowance for iron. Celery sticks, sliced
tomatoes, and baked sweet potatoes are all solid sources of iron.
Vitamin C: Only one in five children consume the
recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and one-quarter
of all vegetables that are consumed are French fries. Opt for
whole fruit--oranges, watermelon, pineapple--over juice whenever
possible and make sure dinner always comes accompanied with at
least one serving of colorful vegetables like peppers, asparagus,
or carrots.
Not That!
Fat: The USDA and National Cholesterol Education
Program recommend reducing fat intake to an average of 30 percent
of calories or less for children over 2 years old.
Saturated Fat: Saturated fat intake should be an average
of less than 10 percent of calories for those over 2 years old,
according to the USDA.
Sugars: A child's diet should have 35 percent
or less of its total calories from sugars, excluding sugars occurring
naturally in fruits and vegetables, according to the Center for
Science in the Public Interest. Soft drink consumption has doubled
over the last 30 years. (Teenage boys consume twice the recommended
amount of sugar each day, almost one-half of which comes from
soft drinks; teenage girls fare even worse.) Each daily serving
of sugar-sweetened soda increases a child's risk for obesity
by 60 percent.
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About the Author:
David Zinczenko, editor-in-chief
of Men's Health magazine, is the author of New York Times bestsellers
The Abs Diet and The Abs Diet for Women. Zinczenko has become
one of the nation's leading experts on health and fitness. He
is a regular contributor to the Today show and has appeared on
Oprah, Good Morning America, and Primetime Live. Matt Goulding
is the food and nutrition editor of Men's Health. He has cooked
and eaten his way around the world, touching down in Allentown,
Pennsylvania, where he divides most of his time between keyboard
and stovetop. For more information visit http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/index.phplease.
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