According to an annual statistical report from the U.S. government, swapping seafood for some meat and poultry can improve the diet quality of children and adolescents.
“America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2013,” — compiled by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics — states the Healthy Eating Index score, a measure of overall dietary quality did not differ significantly from recent years. The report also noted that the diet quality of children and adolescents fell considerably short of recommendations.
“Poor eating patterns can lead to childhood obesity and contribute to chronic diseases starting in childhood, such as type 2 diabetes, and those that emerge throughout the life cycle, such as cardiovascular disease,” the report stated.
The report said that the diet quality of children and adolescents would be improved by an increase in vegetables, especially dark greens and beans, replacing refined grains with whole grains, substituting seafood for some meat and poultry, and decreasing the intake of sodium, solid fats and added sugars.
