Research at Saint Louis University finds that families who eat out are more likely to skimp on the fruits and vegetables.
"The more often parents eat out, the lower their intake of fruits and vegetables," says Amanda Harrod, a researcher at Saint Louis University School of Public Health.
Harrod studied young familiesand found that about 73 percent of the parents don't consume five or more fruits and vegetables each day, the amount recommended to guard against diseases such as heart disease and cancer.
Parents who frequently eat out are also less likely to have fruits and vegetables available at home. The reason families gave for not eating fruits and vegetables? They didn't like the taste.
Eating enough fruits and vegetables is important for many reasons from getting the right vitamins to good GI function.
So, if you're one of the fruit- and veg-free families, we've put together a few suggestions that will help you serve up fruits and veggies more often both home and away.
