Bel Marra Health Reports on a New Study Highlighting the Importance of Fruit Consumption in Children

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Long Beach, CA; Chicago, IL; Houston, TX (PRWEB) May 06, 2013 -- Bel Marra Health, who offers high-quality, specially formulated vitamins and nutritional supplements, reports on a new study claiming that by making fruit more convenient and accessible to children, they will be more likely to consume the fruit and improve their health.

As Bel Marra Health reports in its article (http://www.belmarrahealth.com/healthy-eating-2/how-to-increase-fruit-consumption-in-children), research has shown time and time again that if something is easy to handle and easy to eat then people will consume it. A recent study has shown that the same seems to apply to fruit consumption. Cornell Universitys Food and Brand Lab conducted an experiment in school cafeterias with a simple fruit slicer. What they found was that students embraced the use of slicers. In fact, sales of fruit in the cafeterias increased by 61 per cent. Students indicated that they ordinarily avoided fruit because it got stuck in their braces after biting into it. Many girls worried that they looked unattractive chomping down on a big piece of fruit, while many students felt that big pieces of fruit were inconvenient.

Since the study only involved eight elementary schools, the researchers decided to test six middle schools. Apple slicers were placed in three of the schools, while the other three schools acted as controls. At the end of the experiment, the researchers found that fruit sales in the schools that had slicers increased by 71 percent over the control schools.

As Bel Marra Health reports, over the last 10 years research efforts have led to a number of different initiatives in the United States to get kids eating healthier and consuming more fruits and vegetables. In 2002, the United States Department of Agriculture launched a program to get kids in the poorest area of the nation to eat more fruits. Today, they report that both fruit and vegetable consumption has increased by a third of a cup per child amongst those participating in the program. Just this year, the USDA announced Smart Snacks in School; a proposed new standard to make sure that kids from Kindergarten to Grade 12 are fed healthy, accessible food.

As for how much fruit children should eat, experts at Bel Marra Health say that toddlers require about one cup of fruit each day; older children need about one-and-a-half cups; adolescents and teenagers should get two cups per day. Teenagers that are athletic and active can benefit from a higher fruit intake. Ultimately, in order to increase fruit consumption, they have to be fun and accessible. Cutting up an apple into a childs lunch or leaving fresh cut vegetables on the counter for when they get home is an excellent strategy. If children see enticing food thats ready to grab and eat, theyre far more likely to take a bite.

(SOURCE: Wansink, B., Just, D.R., Hanks, A.S. & Smith, L.E. Pre-Sliced Fruit in School Cafeterias: Childrens Selection and Intake. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 2013.)

Bel Marra Health is the maker of LipoLose, a high-quality nutritional supplement that contains glucomannan, a natural soluble fiber from the Konjac root. It safely expands in the stomach, acting as a dietary fiber which creates a feeling of satiety to suppress appetite and enable successful weight loss. All ingredients are backed with scientific evidence. Every product is tested for safety, quality, and purity at every stage of the manufacturing process. Furthermore, Bel Marra Health products are produced only in Health Canada approved facilities, going the extra mile to ensure that our health-conscious customers are getting top quality products. For more information on Bel Marra Health visit http://www.belmarrahealth.com or call 1-866-531-0466.