Most parents know that once children decide they don’t like a certain food, getting them to eat it is near impossible. Consequently, many children do not obtain the daily recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. It may be difficult getting children to eat green veggies when they have other options such as their favorite chicken nuggets. Up to 40% of toddles become picky eaters sometime during childhood.
A randomized controlled trial, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, involved 450 young children ages 3-4 years. Researchers used a new method of taste exposure that increased children’s willingness to try new foods. Children who received exposure to news foods with a tangible reward (sticker) increased their intake and liking to vegetables by 61%.
Tiny Tasters is a food pack that has been developed in the UK to help children overcome challenges by giving an introduction of new vegetables and making it a fun game. The pack comes with instructions for parents and coloring pages and stickers for the children to be rewarded for eating vegetables. You could also try this at home by giving vegetables multiple times and rewarding your children for eating them.
I like this idea a lot! Positive reinforcement is great, as is communicating with your child about healthy eating. Love this post, Emilee!