Fruit has overtaken cookies as the most popular snack for children under the age of 6 according to a study from the NPD Group. Back in 1987, cookies held the top slot according to a similar study done by the market research firm. The study also found that kids are less likely to partake of carbonated soft drinks, ice cream, candy and cakes than they were 20 years ago. Back when I was a lad, a bit more than 20 years ago, we kept soda in the house, but I didn't drink it all that often. I have fond memories of saving it as a summertime treat for ice cream sodas. I would enjoy these in a Coca-Cola logo glass. My folks usually bought C&C Cola, but my concoctions were usually pretty tasty anyway. I haven't thought about that in a long time. It's funny how childhood memories about food bubble up to the surface of my consciousness. I also used to make my own marshmallow sauce for homemade sundaes.
My own childhood taste in treats aside, it's a good thing that young children these days eat less pie, cake and ice cream than they did 20 years ago. The one thing that surprised me about the study is that milk has maintained its third-place slot since 1987.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-13-2008 @ 10:55AM
Jason Levine said...
This doesn't surprise me. My son (almost 5 years old) loves fruit. Give him a plate of strawberries, grapes, and watermelon and he's a happy camper. Even my one year old likes fruit. He'll happily suck down watermelon piece after watermelon piece until you wonder just how much more that little tummy can hold. Of course, both boys love their cake and ice cream also, but those are rarer treats. (Cake is mainly eaten at special occasions and ice cream is a seasonal treat. Who wants to eat a frozen dessert when it is the middle of winter?)
As for soda, we don't keep any in my house. My wife doesn't drink it often enough and I can't stand carbonated beverages. The carbonation has always tested nasty to me. I guess I'm weird that way. (I'd rather go thirsty than drink a soda.) My kids drink water, fruit juices, and milk.
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