foodconsumer.org: Getting Your Kids Into A Vegetable Habit

Getting Your Kids Into A Vegetable Habit
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admin on 11/04/2009 23:16:00
 
GETTING YOUR KIDS INTO A VEGETABLE HABIT
If you want kids to eat their vegetables, there’s no better "sell" than
showing them how much you enjoy eating vegetables. You can also use some
preparation tricks to make veggies easier to swallow.
Kids are inclined to like sweeter foods, and vegetables are no exception. It’s
genetic: Our ancestors learned that sweet foods tended to be reliable while
bitter plants could make them sick.
To this day, kids often prefer sweet potatoes and sweet corn, along with carrots
and peas, besides white potatoes. It’s the leafy green vegetables and
cruciferous ones like broccoli that often get spit into napkins –
unfortunately, so do their strongly protective nutrients and phytochemicals.
WHAT’S A PARENT TO DO?
For one thing, keep trying. Studies show that parents often give up after kids
reject a food after three to five tries; experts recommend a minimum of 8 to 15
tries. Even then, kids may still need to see and then try a food many times
before they truly enjoy it. Which leads to the next strategy:
Give them very small pieces and portions, so they’re not overwhelmed. Add
chopped, shredded or pureed vegetables to mixed dishes, like pasta or soup. This
worked in one study, where adding extra pureed vegetables to a mixed pasta dish
went over well among a group of preschoolers; 79 percent of them said it tasted
the same or better than a version with few vegetables.
Show that you enjoy eating vegetables. It’s the most encouraging thing you can
do. A review of 60 studies concluded that kids ages 6 to 11 were best persuaded
to eat vegetables when they saw their parents eating and enjoying them. In
contrast, wagging a finger and pressuring them to eat vegetables could actually
backfire. Forcing vegetables or rewarding kids for eating them teaches children
that these are not enjoyable foods.
Sometimes kids may become afraid of vegetables and other new foods on their own.
But AICR says, "Keep trying:" offer a wide variety of vegetables and make two or
more vegetables a regular habit in the meals you eat with your kids.
For example, sweeten your carrots by cooking them with orange juice and raisins;
add a handful of chopped walnuts and dried cranberries to spinach; sprinkle some
parmesan cheese on finely chopped broccoli, combine sweet corn with a small
amount of a chopped green vegetable that might be new to them.
For more ideas, browse the current crop of vegetable cookbooks in your local
library or bookstore, prepare them in many different ways using Recipes from the
AICR Test Kitchen.
By AICR.org