Parents who serve children whatever they want for tea...
IT is one of the first lessons parents give their children to stop them being fussy eaters.
Whatever bland veg or bitter greens might be in front of them, they are told: ‘You are sitting here, for as long as it takes, until your plate is cleared.’
But it seems modern parents may not have the stomach for this battle of wills any longer.
A survey of almost 600 children in Scotland has found nearly a quarter get what they want for their tea almost every day of the week. And with favourites including pizza, chicken nuggets and chips and cheesy pasta, they are pretty certain to eat it all up.
The concern is that what youngsters want to eat is almost certain not to be what is best for them, prompting calls for parents to become stricter.
Almost a third of Scotland’s children are overweight or obese, making them more likely to stay that way into adulthood and laying a path to health problems such as heart disease and diabetes in their later life.
The Scottish Government, which commissioned the survey from YougGov for the Eat Better Feel Better campaign, yesterday revealed children may be more adventurous than parents think.
Among the eight to 15-year-olds asked, more than four in five said they would try something new for dinner if a parent offered it.
Dr Peter Fowlie, Scottish officer at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: ‘We need to get children into the habit of eating healthily at a young age.
‘But we live in a society where around 70 per cent of three-yearolds recognise the McDonald’s symbol, but only half of them know their own surname.
‘So it is important for parents to get children into a good eating routine of three meals a day with a variety of vegetables and different sources of protein.’
He added that helping parents to improve their ‘social and physical environments’ would help to reduce the number of children eating ‘turkey twizzlers for tea’.
The survey of 581 children found 23 per cent get what they want for their tea at least five times a week, with one in eight choosing their own meals every day.
The most popular dishes served up at meal times include some concerningly unhealthy choices. Two in five children often have pizza, with almost a quarter saying they regularly eat chicken nuggets and chips.
The most popular meal was pasta with tomato sauce, which includes spaghetti Bolognese. More than a third often ate cheesy pasta.
Parents also appear to be giving in to their children’s sweet tooth, with 36 per cent of children allowed to follow up their tea with ice cream for pudding at least once a week.
And the research suggests there is little attempt to change the youngsters’ eating tastes and habits, with fewer than a third of parents suggesting something new to eat each week. Obesity currently costs Scottish taxpayers almost £1billion a year, making it vital to overhaul the country’s diet.
Eat Better Feel Better was started by the Scottish Government a year ago and includes a website to help parents and families find quick and affordable ways to make their diet healthier.
Yesterday Public Health Minister Maureen Watt visited Dalmarnock Primary School in Glasgow, where she helped children aged seven to ten prepare a series of healthy meals.
She said the scheme has helped many people to make ‘significant improvements to their daily diets’, including dealing with fussy eaters, shopping on a budget, planning meals and finding time to cook.
‘Get them into good eating habits’