Want kids to eat veggies? Keep it simple, study says

	Tweet

For all those parents out there who struggle to feed their children vegetables, Dutch researchers have some advice: keep them crunchy by steaming or boiling them.

Researchers from Wageningen University tested two readily available and commonly eaten vegetables—carrots and french beans—that had been cooked in six different ways on groups of primary school children to find out which was their preferred way of eating them.

The carrots and beans were mashed, steamed, boiled, stir-fried, grilled and deep-fried and then served to the children, whose ages ranged from 4 years to 12 years.

A control group of 18-25 year-old adults was also served the same vegetables prepared in the same methods.

The researchers, who said that children in many countries ate fewer vegetables than the amount recommended by healthcare professionals, found that the majority of children liked the steamed or boiled vegetables the best.

They attributed this to the fact that the carrots and beans retained their original taste, colour and crunchiness, and that this way of cooking, which many children were familiar with, kept the vegetables’ surface uniform and without any brown colouring.

“Vegetable liking was determined by a complex mixture of a uniform appearance, textures that are easily controllable in the mouth and the typical, familiar vegetable taste,” the study’s authors said in a statement.

“Although future research should confirm our findings, our study indicated that it is promising to offer children vegetables that are as crunchy as possible, with the typical vegetable taste and a uniform surface without brown colouring and without a granular texture.”

---
SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!)

RELATED STORIES:
Eating Less May Not Extend Life   Study shows caffeine negatively affects children   Coffee Drinking Protects Against an Eyelid Spasm That Can Lead to ‘Blindness’   U.S. surgeon general seeks healthier food ads   Taste for low-calorie alternatives may wane: study   How temperature influences our taste   Study shows high prevalence and severity of childhood food allergy in the US   Chocolate Toothpaste? Extract of Tasty Treat Could Fight Tooth Decay   Children eschew the fat if dads aren’t lenient   Human Milk Saves Lives   Coffee, tea linked to lower risk of brain tumor   People of higher socioeconomic status choose better diets—but pay more per calorie

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]