All modern parents try to make their children learn as much as possible about healthy eating and develop healthy eating habits since their very early age. Parent try to make their kids eat more vegetables and fruits because those are proven to be the healthiest natural foods. They encourage kid to learn more about the advantages and benefits of eating fruit and veggies as amazing rich natural sources of all minerals, vitamins and other essential nutrients vital for normal function of our body systems and organs. Modern children are being taught how to make healthy food choices and how to avoid unhealthy foods like fries, chips, chocolate bars, etc. However, there’s plenty of unhealthy foods which obviously taste much better than just fruits and veggies. That is why most of the parents are looking for an answer to the question, how to make kids eat vegetables and fruits, or what to do to make kids love health foods?

The researchers the University of Oregon offer a very simple technique which, according to their findings, can help parents around the world get their children eat more vegetables. They are convinced that giving a child a glass of water with the meal can help encourage kids consuming more vegetables and make healthier food choices. These conclusions were made by the expert team after studying eating habits of 75 American children aged between 3 and 5. During the experiments, the scientists noticed that kids eat more vegetables like bell peppers or carrots provided they are given a glass of water with the meal. In cases if kids had a glass of soda, a soft drink or any other kind of drink but water, the tendency to consume more vegetables and healthy foods was not recorded by the scientist. Thus, water consumption encourages healthier food choices in little kids, and can assist in getting kids eat more vegetables.

According to Professor Bettina Cornwell, one of the study leaders, modern kids learn new tastes from quite early ages, and they have very strong taste associations. She is convinced that kids associate soft drinks like Coca Cola, Sprite, commercially produced fruit juices, and others, with strictly unhealthy and high calorie foods like fries, chips, cookies, cakes, chocolate products, and many more. In contrast to that, water has very strong links to simple healthy foods, mainly like fruits and vegetables. ‘Our taste preferences are heavily influenced by repeated exposure to particular foods and drinks. This begins early through exposure to meals served at home and by meal combinations offered by many restaurants,” the specialist underlines. She suggests those moms who do not know how to get kids eat vegetables and other healthy foods to serve water with the meals of their kids. The findings of this study were published recently in the journal Appetite.

The researchers say that by using this easy technique it is possible not only teach today’s kids eat more vegetables and make healthy food choices, but also solve serious problems on national level, including increasing obesity rates or increasing risks of cardiovascular diseases caused by high LDL cholesterol levels due to excessive saturated fat consumption. ‘Addressing the early contributors of unhealthy eating that contribute to obesity is important for our general well-being as a nation and, especially, for improving the nutritional choices our children will make over their lifetimes,’ said Dr Kimberly Espy, one of the researchers at the University of Oregon. He underlined the importance of the ways the foods are marketed and served, especially to little kids and teenagers. Read more about the study and learn more about this new interesting technique how to get kids eat vegetables in this article.

Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.

One Response to “An Easy Way How To Get Kids Eat Vegetables”

1. Martin Says:
   July 29th, 2012 at 12:09 pm

   A glass of water!! How simple,but obviously effective. Lets do it!