Fruits and veggies

People tend to consume more of fruits and vegetables as adults than they did as kids, says a new report.

People tend to consume more of fruits and vegetables as adults than they did as kids, a study has revealed.

The study conducted by nutritionists at the University of Newcastle, has found that contrary to the popular opinion, adults eat around twice the amount of fruit and vegetables and less fat and sugar than they did as children.

The research team led by Amelia Lake has also revealed that what people eat is strongly influenced by parents, partners and children along with their amount of free time and work patterns. These factors can exert either a positive or a negative effect.

Researchers found that men mostly feel that their partners have a positive influence on their diet, while women usually find their partners' influence negative.

A third of participants in the study held their busy lifestyle responsible for not being able to prepare 'healthy meals', often because they believed fruit and vegetables needed time for preparation and cooking.

According to Lake, these findings suggest that although general healthy eating messages are getting through to most people, they also needed to be more carefully targeted to reach individuals who believe their lifestyle still prevents them from eating well.

"A lot depends on people's individual coping mechanisms and attitude to life. A lack of time is not necessarily the reason for people not attempting to eat healthily. Some working adults are inspired to make a healthy meal in the evenings, while somebody with the same amount of time on their hands would feel under pressure and be inclined to send out for a takeaway," she added.