Americans aged 1 to 18 get 40% of their calories from junk food

[Liberal_in_LA]

Kids get nearly half their calories from junk food
36

According to the American Cancer Institute, American young people aged 2 to 18 get 40 percent of their daily calories from empty calories — or calories that come with no nutritional value attached. Indeed, if you looked at kids' eating habits, you'd be forced to conclude that pizza and soda were key food groups: The NIC analysis showed that half of the empty calories kids get come from just six popular foods: pizza, soda, ice cream, cookies and cakes, sugary fruit drinks, and whole milk. (I wouldn't include whole milk or 100 percent juice drinks on this list if it were up to me, but it wasn't.)



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?entry_id=74082&tsp=1#ixzz11j1Od8zq

[flvegan]

1. I'd have guessed that 18 isn't remotely the cut off age for that statistic.

And pizza doesn't have to be empty calories.

And yeah, whole milk is garbage.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. agree about the pizza. I make pizza with a whole wheat crust, veggies, and homemade

tomato sauce sometimes.

[virgogal]

3. Whole milk is delicious----that's why I drink it.

[flvegan]

4. Congratulations!

I didn't say anything about taste.

[Nikia]

5. Whole milk is as nutritious as skim milk

It just has more calories and fat. Pizza has nutrients, although some versions more than others. Fruit juices usually have a fair amount of vitamin C. I wouldn't exactly call those foods nothing but empty calories.

[AndyTiedye]

6. Young children are SUPPOSED to drink milk, aren't they?