Apples account for 29 percent of fruit that American children and teens consume every day, easily making them more popular than oranges, bananas, berries, peaches, and fruit salad. Kids and teenagers eat about two-thirds of that figure in the form of whole apples, and one-third is drunk as pure apple juice.
The study was published September 21, Monday in the journal Pediatrics and was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics. Research data originated from interviews with 3,129 kids and teens.
The U.S. government recommends that youngsters consume a maximum of two cups (350 grams) of fruit daily.
Toddlers between 2 to 5 years old get 32 percent of their daily fruit from apples or juice. The figure is 41 percent for children in the 6 to 11 age group. Meanwhile, adolescents aged 12 to 19 get 26 percent of their fruit from whole apples or fruit juice.
Apples are popular among different ethnic and racial groups. Latino children get the highest percent of their fruit from apples, at 21.2 percent.
The study's authors discovered that 12 items made up over 86 percent of all fruit eaten by American children, according to Los Angeles Times. Bananas were the second most popular fruit (6.8 percent), and citrus juice was the second most popular liquid fruit (14.3 percent)
Children consumed an average 1.25 cups of fruit on any given day. Whole fruit and fruit juice were the most popular forms followed by mixed dishes such as smoothies.
Whole fruit is the healthiest type of fruit, as the skin contains a lot of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. In addition, it includes no added sugar or fat.
Dr. Deena Blanchard is from New York University's Langone Medical Center. She recommends introducing fruits to kids with foods they already like, according to CBS News.
The apple tree originated in Central Asia. Today's most popular species include Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, and Gala.
Here are some big health benefits of apples: