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Teen Tummies: My How Their Diets Have Changed

July 20, 2000 -- American teen-agers are eating more vegetables these days. The problem is, much of that produce is in the form of french fries and other high-fat potato products. That's one of the findings of a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It takes a 30-year look at how adolescent diets have changed in the U.S. over time. In short, the news is not good.

For one thing, what used to be an occasional treat has become a dietary staple for teen-agers: soft drinks. The survey found a relatively flat level of soft-drink consumption between 1965 and 1977, but since then, it's tripled in boys and doubled in girls. At the same time, milk consumption has fallen off 36%. Juice is up, whole fruits down.

There's also been a big increase in the amount of "grain" consumed. They're not talking bulgur and wheat germ, either. Pizza, macaroni and cheese, and certain ethnic dishes are pushing those numbers up.

Other findings: Fat consumption rose 4% in teens during the 1990s; intake of green and orange vegetables stayed low; and teen-age girls are still getting too little iron, folic acid, and calcium.

The researchers came up with this 30-year picture by examining data from four federal studies conducted during the period. These included two Nationwide Food Consumption Surveys (in 1965 and 1977-1978) and two Continuing Surveys of Food Intake by Individuals (1989-1991 and 1994-1996). Each of the surveys included an at-home interview which asked participants to recall what they ate in a 24-hour period.

Interestingly, despite recent national stories about fat kids, the surveys found total caloric intake in adolescents hasn't changed much. But experts say it's likely that something else has: "The other side of the equation is 'calories in equals calories out.' Calories are basically the same, but the activity level [among teens] is nonexistent," says Jackie Benning, RD, PhD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

The survey touched only briefly on the health effects of bad eating -- but it is foremost in the minds of those who treat children. "In 1994, we averaged one referral a week of an obese child," says Daniel Hale, MD, professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. "Now, we average 10 to 15 referrals a week. We are just getting bombed with referrals."

Hale tells the story of a teen who gained 60 pounds in a year. "His intake of solid food was not outside the realm of adolescent males," he recalls, which is one reason his well-educated mother thought her son had a "glandular" problem. But a food interview uncovered the real issue: He was consuming 1,200 to 1,500 extra calories worth of soda and soft drinks every day.