Concerns raised over the eating habits of teenagers

Recently compiled official government data has shown that as little as one in 13 teenage girls and one in eight teenage boys consume their recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables.

The data is taken from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, a poll of more than 2,000 adults and children who were questioned about their eating habits.

According to the results, the average consumption of fruit and vegetables among girls and boys between the ages of 11 and 18 was just 2.7 and 3.1 respectively.

Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies has expressed concern over the figures for teenagers and commented that it is eating well and staying active throughout our teenage years which can help to protect against serious illnesses such as heart disease and cancer as we grow older.

Though no direct comparisons to previous years are available, similar studies were conducted back in the 1990s and we can see from these that eating habits have improved very slightly.

According to nutrition expert Dr Alison Lennox, who was involved in the recent research, there is still a long way to go in terms of improving the eating habits of the nation.

Paul Burstow, minister for health in the UK also agrees that there have been too few improvements and revealed that the government intend to roll out a new campaign in a bid to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

Whilst teenagers are of an age where they are able to make their own food choices outside of the home, when they are eating with the family it is important to encourage healthy choices. Try to ensure there are always healthy options available to them and set a good example by eating well yourselves. If you know that your diet does not consist of enough healthy and nutritious foods and exercise is not high on your list of priorities then it may be worth getting in touch with a health coach who could help the whole family to make some simple but effective changes to your lifestyle.

To find out more about how a health coach could help you and your family, please visit our fact sheet for further information.

View the original BBC News article.