Evidence · Food and health
What are American children eating?
The record on processed food, sugar and childhood obesity, with a link to every source.
The short answer
About two thirds of the calories that American children and teenagers eat come from ultra-processed foods. Nearly 1 in 5 children has obesity. The new federal Dietary Guidelines tell families to avoid highly processed foods and to give children 10 and under no added sugar. Meals made at home from whole foods are the simplest place to start.
Most of a child's calories now come from ultra-processed food
Researchers studied federal nutrition survey data for children ages 2 to 19 from 1999 to 2018. The share of calories from ultra-processed foods rose from about 61% to 67%. The study appeared in JAMA in 2021.
Obesity and chronic disease are common
From 2017 to March 2020, 19.7% of children and teens ages 2 to 19 had obesity, about 14.7 million young people. The Make Our Children Healthy Again report from May 2025 says more than 40% of children have at least one chronic health condition. It calls today's children "the sickest generation in American history in terms of chronic disease."
What the new federal guidelines say
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025 to 2030 came out in January 2026. They tell families to "avoid highly processed packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat, or other foods that are salty or sweet." They advise no added sugar for babies and young children, and say that for children ages 5 to 10 "no amount of added sugars is recommended." They also tell everyone to avoid sodas, fruit drinks and energy drinks, and to eat whole vegetables and fruits.
What you can do now
- Cook one more meal at home each week from whole foods.
- Replace soda, fruit drinks and energy drinks with water or milk.
- Read the label with your child and look for added sugar.
- Ask your school what it serves for breakfast and lunch, and how much is cooked from scratch.
Related
We update this page as new data comes out. If you see an error, please contact us.