If you ate a lot of vegetables and fruits as a child, yet still somehow ended up downing a couple of sodas per day, you're not alone.

Researchers from Ohio State University recently found out that kids who regularly eat fruit and vegetables, as well as dairy products, are no less likely to eat foods rich in sugar, salt, and fat as those who rarely eat healthy foods. "We assumed that children who ate a lot of healthy foods would also be children who did not eat a lot of unhealthy foods," said Sarah Anderson, an associate professor of epidemiology of the same university. "I just thought that was the way the world was and it turned out not to be the case," she added.

The researchers, led by Anderson, surveyed parents of 357 children aged between two and five (with approximately 60% coming from black and underprivileged neighborhoods) regarding the eating patterns of their children for the past week. The foods and drinks were then split into a category of healthy choices, such as fruit, vegetables, and milk, and another category for junk food items, like sweetened drinks, fast food, sweets and salty snacks. 

Regardless of age, the researchers found no indication that kids who regularly ate fruits and vegetables and drank milk were any less likely to consume unhealthy foods and drinks.  One week before the interview, only one-third of the children did not drink sweetened beverages, and 29% did not eat fast food. The researchers also noted that "good" food does not automatically replace "bad" food in kids' diets, sparking suggestions that childhood obesity may need some rethinking.

Phyllis Pirie, the study's co-author, however, clarified that parents and policy makers should not stop enforcing the importance of eating healthy. "There has been a kind of assumption there that if you encourage people to adopt healthy eating that it naturally leads to a decline in unhealthy eating," she states. She also added, "Efforts to lower childhood obesity rates often focus on adding 'good' foods, rather than on avoiding 'bad foods.'"

The complete findings were published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal.