Posted Jan 5, 2011
University College London in England found a way to get kids to eat veggies that just might stick. Researchers found in a study that a group of 3- and 4-year-olds who were given stickers for trying a vegetable they didn’t like changed their willingness to eat it. During the course of 12 days, kids started to eat the vegetables they had to be bribed to try and were still eating them when the researchers checked in on them three months later.
Other studies indicated it might take anywhere from 10 to 20 attempts to introduce a new food or vegetable before parents can see a result.
The concept of rewarding for eating, however, flies in the face of traditional nutritional training.
Jessica Hagey, a dietitian with Heartland Health, disagrees with the reward concept but could see how the sticker system might work as a last resort.
“The part of me that cringes is rewarding somebody for eating food,” she says. “I think we have to remember that not everybody is going to like everything. Not every time we introduce a food are they going to eat it the first time. We’re going to have to try and retry.”
Sheri Caldwell, a dietitian with St. Joseph’s Hy-Vee, agrees. She recommends parents model good vegetable behavior and don’t make a fuss about canned green beans or frozen spinach. If your child has a friend more willing to try new foods, invite the friend over for dinner the night you plan to introduce a new food item.
Both Ms. Caldwell and Ms. Hagey recommend pairing the new vegetable with a food item the kids will definitely eat.
Keep any frustration out of it, Ms. Caldwell cautions, to keep the dinner table from becoming a battle of the wills. Kids who feel forced to eat something against their will also might feel the need to assert their independence and dig in. Instead, just suggest they sample a bite. Give them the option of spitting it into a napkin if they disagree with the taste.
“It’s normal for kids to be picky,” says Ms. Caldwell. “They may be very picky and go on binges where they only want to eat certain foods, but I think one thing that helps is if parents, too, is if we realize that every day might not be Perfect but if you averaged three or four days or a week out, your child probably got more nutrients than you might have realized.”
If you’re really concerned about adequate nutrition, you should consult your child’s pediatrician or consider a nutritional supplement.
Jennifer Gordon can be reached at jennifer.gordon@newspressnow.com. Follow her on Twitter: @jjgordon.
©2012 the St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, Mo.)
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