“With the cabbage I eat it!”

Every parent knows: getting children to eat vegetables is always a challenge. Yet we know how important they are for growth, and not only that. Here are a series of useful tips.

There are children who do not want to see peas even painted on postcards. Others who hate asparagus, zucchini and carrots.

Then they grow, and maybe preferences change. But it often happens that the flavors “learned” as children remain even once they become large.

According to child nutrition experts, in fact, proposing various types of vegetables from early childhood predisposes children to a greater acceptance of these precious foods.

And even if they initially reject them, the insistence on the part of the parents is bound to be rewarded.

More vegetables for children

According to various surveys, in Italy, children find little vegetables on their plate: on average only three out of ten eat a portion a day.

How is food taste formed in a child? Several researchers have asked themselves this in recent years. And even if there are no definitive certainties, some answers are beginning to become more concrete.

For example, research published in the journal Pediatrics has shown that dislikes and likes towards a certain food begin to form as early as six months, when weaning with solid food begins.

From that moment on, different factors come into play, such as the transmission of taste and habits by parents.

It is instinctive to think that if in the family there is a habit towards some flavors, even children will consider them normal, and therefore “good”.

In a first study published in Appetite, researchers verified the reaction of babies aged 6 to 12 months towards some vegetables proposed for nine consecutive days, based on the amount of food consumed and the opinions expressed by mothers and neutral observers.

A first group was always given the same vegetable, a second three different vegetables replaced every three days, a third the same three vegetables but in daily rotation: the results showed that proposing new vegetables daily, varying them frequently, increases acceptance.

Advice for those who have “riotous” children

But what to do if the child stubbornly refuses to eat more food? The general rule is to eat meals regularly, without imposing anything, in a serene and quiet atmosphere.

It is also necessary to avoid that the baby arrives too hungry or too tired at meal time, but not even satiated. It is essential in this sense to limit snacks between meals.

Another tip can be to offer at each meal at least one food enjoyed by the child without forcing him to eat the others.

Finally, it is a good rule to buffer incorrect behaviors such as spitting food, throwing it on the ground or playing during the meal. All without criticism or excessive discussion.

When the “niet” of the little one concerns fruits and vegetables, you can try starting with the most tender ones and, for vegetables, cooking them as little as possible. Generally steamed or raw, it is more accepted even by the most unruly children.

To make him eat fruit, however, a trick could be to blend it and mix it with yogurt.