Introduce Your Children to Vegetables from An Early Age: Study

Children who are introduced to vegetables at an early age eat more of it, according to a study.

Many toddlers and children refuse to eat vegetables and fruits and carry this habit throughout their lives. Experts from the University of Leeds found that parents can get their children to practice healthy eating by introducing vegetables in their diet at an early age and serving them more often .

The study, funded by the European Union, involved 332 children between weaning age and 38 months who were introduced to solid food. They were served five to 10 helpings of artichoke puree in three forms- basic, sweetened or having added sugar and puree mixed with vegetable oil. The trial used globe artichoke as it is very rarely fed to children.        

It was observed that participants from all three groups ate same amount of puree suggesting that flavoring or adding taste to vegetables makes no difference to children.

It was noted that younger children ate more vegetable puree than older children. As children grow older they become fussy even about food they earlier liked and are hesitant to try out new things, explained the study.

 The researchers again grouped the children based on their familiarity with artichoke. Nearly, 40 percent of them categorized as 'learners' increased their puree intake overtime. About 21 percent were called 'plate cleaners' as they ate more than 75 percent of puree each time they were given. Almost 16 percent of the participants  were older children who ate less than 10 grams even after fifth serving and named 'non-eaters'. The remaining 23 percent were classified as 'others'.

The experts noted fussy eating behavior was mostly exhibited by older children.

"For parents who wish to encourage healthy eating in their children, our research offers some valuable guidance," said Marion Hetherington, study author and professor at Institute of Psychological Sciences in a news release.

"If you want to encourage your children to eat vegetables, make sure you start early and often. Even if your child is fussy or does not like veggies, our study shows that 5-10 exposures will do the trick."

More information is available online in the journal PLoS ONE.