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Moms and dads notoriously struggle to get their children to eat enough vegetables.
Today, a new scientific study by Australian experts reveals the most and least effective parenting tactics to ensure children get five a day.
Researchers looked at 80 health industry studies identifying difficult eating in children under 10, mostly based on parental reports and reminders.
They found that a more relaxed parenting style, eating together as a family, and involving a child in food preparation all reduced the likelihood of difficult eating.
Conversely, pressuring a child to eat, very strict parenting, and offering rewards for eating, such as being able to watch TV, made children more difficult to eat.
New research is helping to better understand what influences picky eaters and what is most likely to increase or decrease picky foods in children under 10.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), the University of South Australia and the University of Queensland, and published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
They have provided some of their best advice for parents of picky eaters, including planning regular meals, involving kids in food preparation, and removing rewards, bribes, or punishments.
They also stress the importance of turning off the television and prohibiting screens of all kinds on the dining table, including smartphones.
“For hard-eating parents, meal times can be especially stressful – juggling family meals and being a picky eater is no easy task,” said Laine Chilman, senior researcher and doctoral student at the USC.
“Some families have children who ignore any vegetable. Others deal with children who dislike certain textures or colors of food.
“Some of these preferences relate to a child’s characteristics or personality, which are difficult to change, if at all. But others are external factors that could help reduce difficult eating in children.
“Eating as a family, with siblings and having only one meal at a regular time has helped to reduce food agitation, as has the involvement of the difficult child in the meal, that is, by helping him to choose the right meal. menu, or by helping him prepare the meal. .
“Yet if picky eaters were allowed to eat in front of the television, or if they were rewarded for eating certain foods, these behaviors had a negative influence on picky eaters.”
Australian researchers claim to better understand what influences picky eaters in children
Research Paper Graph Shows Factors That Increase and Decrease Difficult Eating in Children
In their study, the authors identify several characteristics of the typical picky eater, including reduced food consumption, reduced preference for vegetables, rejection of novel foods, preference for a limited variety of foods, and refusal of foods based on their texture.
Typical behaviors of children identified as picky eaters included slower or longer eating, avoiding meals, and “inspecting food.”
Interestingly, the picky eater “was more often male, firstborn, and underweight,” say the authors, citing several different studies in their analysis.
In addition to each child’s individual personality, stress – often caused by parent actions such as screaming – is another factor that may explain why children are picky eaters.
Above all, parents should absolutely avoid trying to force meals into their children’s mouths, which can deter them from certain foods for life.
“When you have a difficult-to-eat child, it’s very stressful for a parent or guardian – they always wonder if their child is getting enough nutrients, enough food and often enough weight gain,” the co-worker said. -author Dr Ann. Kennedy-Behr at the University of South Australia.
“Still, it’s important to understand that being openly anxious or worried can actually contribute to more difficult eating.
Eating as a family, with siblings, and having just one meal at a regular time, all helped reduce food agitation.
“Avoiding getting angry and limiting negativity at mealtimes will benefit everyone.
“Positive parenting, no matter how difficult it can be in certain situations, is the best step forward for picky eaters.”
Earlier in 2021, scientists at Penn State University reported that doubling the amount of vegetables on a plate resulted in children eating 68% more green vegetables.
In their trials, the academics increased the amount of corn and broccoli on children’s plates served at a meal from 60 to 120 grams, but kept the rest of the food on the plate the same size.
Interestingly, seasoning vegetables with butter and salt did not affect children’s consumption rates.
Earlier this month, another team of researchers reported that chemicals in children’s mouths could be at the root of their aversion to vegetables of the genus Brassica, including broccoli, cauliflower and sprouts. .
Enzymes produced by vegetables react with bacteria in the mouth and produce unpleasant sulphurous odors, experts say.
According to the Australian Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, most children do not meet recommended dietary and nutritional guidelines.
In the UK, the NHS says children should eat at least five servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables per day, but this serving size can vary with age, body size and levels of physical activity. .
In the United States, the recommended daily amount of vegetables for children is about 1.5 cups per day, according to the government dietary guidelines for Americans.
CHILDREN INCREASED PLANT APPETITE IF PHOTOS SHOWED: STUDY 2019
Another way to get your child to eat vegetables: show them pictures of green foods at recess
Children are more likely to eat vegetables if they are shown pictures of themselves regularly, according to a study revealed in 2019. They are also less likely to be picky eaters and more likely to be willing to try new foods. .
Researchers at the University of Reading behind the study developed 24 e-books telling the story of a vegetable’s journey from field to plate.
Dr Natalie Masento said: “Children’s acceptance of new foods can only be enhanced by visual familiarity with a food.
“The theory of familiarizing with food through picture books is well accepted and we hope that, thanks to easy-to-access e-books, even more parents will be able to use this tool to help their children eat their vegetables. . “
The study worked with the parents of 127 toddlers aged 21 to 24 months.
Parents identified two “target” foods that they wanted their child to eat: a fruit and a vegetable. Families were then randomly assigned to one of three groups.
Parents and children in two experimental groups watched books on the target fruit or vegetable every day for two weeks, while a third group did not receive a book.
Parents in all three groups were then asked to offer their child the two target foods each day during a two-week taste exposure phase.
Parental ratings of children’s taste and consumption for the food were then collected immediately after the two-week period and three months later.
The results revealed that both groups who looked at books with their target foods improved children’s taste for their target vegetable after two weeks and three months.
Nutritionist Bridget Benelam said: “The early years are a great opportunity to encourage healthy eating habits in children, but we know that many parents struggle to get children to eat lots of vegetables.
“This study may show us another way to make these challenges a little easier for parents and ultimately encourage children to adopt healthy eating habits for life.”
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