Apple is favorite fruit for kids, study says

Elk Grove Village, IL – Fruit is a vital component of a child’s healthy diet. Now, researchers are learning more about the fruits that children are most willing to eat.

When it comes to children’s preferences, apples take the cake. Researchers from the National Center for Health Statistics analyzed the eating habits of more than 3,100 children 2-19 years old and found that apples comprised about one-fifth of all fruit consumed.

In the study, researchers determined that 53 percent of all fruit intake came in the form of whole fruit. That is a positive development, the American Academy of Pediatrics states, because whole fruit has “the greatest health benefits.”

Approximately 34 percent of fruit intake came in the form of drinks that were 100 percent fruit juice. Apples, apple juice, citrus juice and bananas accounted for nearly half of fruit consumption among children, researchers said. Apples were more popular among children 6-11 years old than they were for children 2-5.

The study was published in the October edition of Pediatrics, which is the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.