To convince children to eat vegetables it seems enough to accompany them, at least initially, with sauces that children like.
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Many children don't like vegetables, in fact this often happens because even parents do not love them or consume enough. However, the most disparate systems are used to overcome this problem: present them in a creative way, hide them under other foods or accompany them, for example, with some sauce that may be appreciated by the little ones.
In this regard, a study carried out by the faculty of psychology of Arizona State University and published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found how a small and simple trick may have long-term beneficial effects on the child-vegetable ratio.
To get children to eat vegetables, just serve them together with a sauce (at least initially). The important thing is that it is something already known and appreciated by the child who in this way is also encouraged to try the vegetables present in the dish.
The psychological answer to this is simple as the authors of the study pointed out: the strategy of pairing something new with something a person already loves it's known as associative conditioning and may be useful for encouraging children (but actually adults too) to eat more fruits and vegetables.
The research was carried out involving the parents of 29 children (aged between three and five years) who was initially asked to compile a survey on children's opinions on 11 vegetables, including obviously whether they liked them or not. To measure preferences and evaluate children's reactions to plant food, they were used as a model for everyone cauliflower and Brussels sprouts because these were the vegetables that most children had never tried yet.
And the little experiment went like this: every day for 7 days the selected children were given either cauliflower or Brussels sprouts boiled. The vegetables were eaten in groups of 5 or 6 children with the help of a researcher or teacher and served with cream cheese. At the end of the week, however, off the cheese sauce and voilà the children had learned to eat those vegetables anyway and continued to do so!
According to scholars, the effects of this would be for a long time, namely i children thanks to this simple ploy they would be more likely to continue eating vegetables even as adults. "Children develop food preferences at a young age, but they tend to be fussy at this age, so it's important to sustain healthy habits that will persist into adulthood," said researcher Devina Wadhera.
So what are you waiting for? If you also have children who are a little reluctant to eat vegetables, it won't cost you anything to try. And to entice them even more you can also make sauces with them at home, so that the meal is not only healthier but also more fun! Here are some ideas for self-made sauces.
Read also:
- 9 vegetarian recipes to make children eat vegetables with taste
- 8 tips to make children appreciate vegetables
