Trying to get kids to eat vegetables can be like a game of tug-of-war, one that the parent rarely wins. Marketing plays a huge role in persuading healthy or unhealthy food choices. With almost all advertising associated with less healthy choices, it’s no wonder that kids tend to prefer a colorful bowl of Trix cereal over a colorful plate of salad vegetables.
Thankfully, there are several tactics parents can use to get kids interested in trying new foods and excited to eat their vegetables. If you can relate to this common parenting struggle, consider these tips and strategies:
-Have kids take part in a coloring contest to design the next “Super-Veggie.”
-Allow kids to participate in the prepping and cooking process at mealtime.
-Offer kids two choices for the vegetable they would like to see in their lunch box or at the dinner table.
-Be a good role model and eat your vegetables too!
-Provide fruits and vegetables as snacks and during celebrations to create positive associations.
-Sneak veggies into dishes; consider trying fruit and vegetable blended smoothies, popsicles, muffins or quesadillas.
-Make a garden or set up small planters where kids can grow their own produce and herbs.
-When a child doesn’t like a vegetable, try cooking or incorporating it in a new way; you can even try presenting it with their favorite food (such as macaroni and cheese with broccoli).
Bottom Line: Encouraging kids to eat their vegetables can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. The key is to stick to your efforts, keep a positive attitude and continue to try different strategies. Above all, remember that eating should be a pleasant experience; aim to make trying new vegetables fun and positive.
Source 1 Source 2 Source 3
Eating plenty of nutrient-rich fruits and veggies is a
key to good health. However, developing a taste for them is quite another matter,
particularly in children. When kids turn up their noses at veggies, is it
nature that’s to blame or nurture? Researchers looked at data from the Gemini
twin cohort study to find the answers.
The study looked at 1,330 pairs of 3-year-old twins born
in England and Wales in 2007. Thirty-four percent of the children were
monozygotic (identical twins sharing 100 percent of their DNA with their twin),
while 66 percent were dizygotic (sharing about 50 percent of their DNA). Parents
filled out questionnaires detailing the children’s food preferences for 19
different vegetables and 16 different fruits. There were also questions related
to eating behaviors such as willingness to try new foods.
The results showed that genetics plays a huge role in
both food preferences and food pickiness. Pickiness was shown to be 78 percent due to genetics, while vegetable
preferences were 70 percent heritable and fruit preferences were calculated at
66 percent. Environment was found to have a moderate role (21 percent for
vegetable and 24 percent for fruit preferences). There are other factors that
influence eating behavior as well, such as the personalities of the
children—whether or not they are adventurous, open or eager to please. All
these traits come into play when determining whether or not a child will accept
a fruit or vegetable.
Bottom Line: While
genetics may play a big role in determining whether or not someone will like a
food, genes don’t have the final say. It is possible to acquire a taste for a
food with repeated exposure, even if you don’t naturally prefer it. Research
shows it can take up to ten exposures to a fruit or vegetable before a child is
willing to even try it; the key is to offer fruits and veggies as often as
possible and to lead by example.
