Parents are beginning to clean up their nutrition acts when it comes to the snacks they serve their children, new data show.
Fruit is the most common snack for children under 6, and cookies are second. In 1987, cookies ruled and fruit ranked second, according to findings from the NPD Group, a market research firm. And kids today:
*Are less likely to consume carbonated soft drinks, ice cream, candy, cake and fruit juice as snacks than kids the same age did 20 years ago.
*Are more likely to have fruit rolls and gummy pieces, yogurt, crackers, granola bars and bottled water.
"Moms generally feed their children similar foods to what they were given as children, but they are starting to make subtle changes," NPD's Harry Balzer says. "Slowly, Mom is saying, 'I'm not giving my kids soft drinks and cookies as much as I was given them as a child.'"
The NPD Group, which tracks national eating trends, bases the data on food and beverage journals from 500 mothers in 1985-87 and 600 in 2005-07. The women kept diaries for 14 days on everything their kids consumed.
Parents seem to be serving more healthful products, which may partly explain why the number of overweight children is holding steady, Balzer says.
Government data show 32% of children and teens ages 2 to 19 -- about 23 million -- were overweight or obese in 2003-06, compared with 29% in 1999. The increase is not considered statistically significant.
The type of snacks parents feed their children is crucial because snacking behavior sets the pattern for life-long eating habits, says Boston nutritionist Elizabeth Ward, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feeding Your Baby and Toddler.
Although some parents may be doing a better job, there's still plenty of room for improvement, she says. She recommends parents completely change the way they think about snacks and serve only the kind of healthful foods they'd offer at a meal.
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