Squash, Brussels sprouts and spinach aren’t often the foods kids beg for. However, a recent study says you can get kids to like most vegetables if you put them on the menu as soon as you start solid foods.
Photo by Janet Hudson.
The research was done in the UK, Denmark and France with children ranging in ages from four to 38 months. The 332 kids were introduced to a vegetable they hadn’t tried before: artichokes. After between five to ten meals, 75 per cent of the children under 24 months old ate the artichokes. The older children were more likely to reject the artichokes.
The study suggests that if you want your kids to eat a larger variety of vegetables, instead of the typical carrots and peas, try giving them a larger variety of vegetables at a younger age. As your children get older, they will be less willing to try new things. Sure, you may not like some those vegetables personally, but you can avoid passing on that trait to your children.
Learning to Eat Vegetables in Early Life: The Role of Timing, Age and Individual Eating Traits [PLOS ONE via EurekAlert]
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