Children choose less vegetables

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, July 9 (UPI) -- A study of Canadian fifth-graders found they prefer larger portions of snacks and fast foods and smaller portions of vegetables than recommended.

Researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax showed nearly 5,000 children different portion sizes of various foods and snacks and asked them to indicate their usual portion size.

More than 63 percent of the children chose portions of fries that were larger than American and Canadian dietary recommendations, with boys more than twice as likely as girls to select bigger portions, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

"Significantly larger" portions for meat and chips were selected by about 78 percent of the children; however, 52 percent of the children chose vegetable portion sizes smaller than or equal to dietary guidelines.

The researchers found children who ate at fast-food restaurants more than once per week were more likely to consider large portions of fries and small portions of vegetables to be "usual," as did children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families and those who frequently ate while watching television.