Kids skimping on the vegetables

IT used to be you couldn’t leave the dinner table until you ate all your vegetables.

New research has found parents are now increasingly allowing their kids to decide how much they eat – but there’s a downside.

Most children aren’t consuming enough veggies, with a survey finding 81.4 per cent of children aged 12 and under are not meeting their daily vegetable intake – a result nutritionists have labelled “dire”.

The recommended daily serves are defined as “one cup or more” of veggies, according to nutritionists.

Those aged between 8-12 were shown to be at most risk, with 16 per cent consuming the adequate portion of vegetables per day.

It came as 78 per cent of parents revealed they let their kids take ownership of their food intake.

The study was based on a national survey of 1006 parents across Australia, commissioned by childrens’ meal company Go! Kids.

Nearly half the respondents (48 per cent) let their kids choose how much of their meals to eat.

And only 10 per cent of kids were made to complete their meal.

About 29 per cent of parents surveyed had children who “naturally” ate the entirety of what was on their plate, while 5.2 per cent of parents admitted to “hiding” healthy foods discreetly in family meals.

Only 2.5 per cent of parents admitted to “bribing” their kids to eat, while 4.6 per cent said they “distracted” their kids into finishing food.

Nutritionist Amelia Phillips said the results were “worrying” and there needed to be more education around “well-rounded nutrition” as “too much of a relaxed approach can compromise our children’s nutritional intake”.

“The recommended serve of vegetables for children is at least one cup per day,” Ms Phillips said.

“They really should be having five different coloured veggies, about the size of their fist.”

Given the rising cost of veggies, Ms Phillips advised parents to pick what is in season right now, and what is affordable based on price rises.

Among her advice to parents is don’t give up when kids say they “don’t like” a food.

“Don’t have a dislike list, in other words – a lot of parents say, ‘ oh they tried parsnip and they don’t like it, so I am not cooking it again’. Keep trying,” Ms Phillips said.

Ms Phillips said she was “quite concerned” about how rising food costs would impact kids’ diets in the longterm.

“Put a smaller amount on their plate, but still encourage them to try it,” she said.