More stick, less carrot to make children eat their greens

PARENTS should not reward their children for eating greens, researchers said after discovering that youngsters who are not praised for trying vegetables are more likely to eat them eventually.

The best way to get children to eat food they do not like is simply to give them repeated exposure to it, the study found. In tests, children repeatedly offered vegetables were more likely to eventually eat them as opposed to those given a reward.

Psychologists from Ghent University in Belgium studied 98 pre-school children on 10 vegetables that were either steamed or boiled – fennel, chicory, zucchini, mushrooms, peas, leeks, Brussels sprouts, beetroot, spinach and

‘The results highlight that repeated exposure remains the best way to establish a liking of a food’

cauliflower. The taste tests revealed that chicory was the least-liked vegetable among youngsters.

The children were then given a bowl of steamed chicory and told to choose how much to eat, while not sharing with other classmates. After eight minutes, they were asked to rate the dish as “yummy”, “just OK” or “yucky” using cartoon facial expressions.

The trial went on twice a week for a month, with a follow-up taste test after eight weeks.

Children were split into three groups, with one group asked to try the bowl of chicory repeatedly with no further encouragement, while the other two groups were given rewards of stickers, a toy or verbal praise.

After the trial, 81 per cent of children who simply tried the chicory repeatedly liked it, compared with 68 per cent given a toy or sticker and 75 per cent given verbal praise.

The study team said: “All parents know how difficult it is to get children to eat their greens, with many offering rewards or treats in return for children finishing their vegetables.

“The results highlight that repeated exposure remains the best way to establish a liking of a food.”

The findings are published in the science journal Food Quality and Preference.