No matter how you would like to put it, the fact is kids are picky eaters. Their lack of interest in healthy foods has always put parents in a difficult position. For years, parents have been trying to crack the code on how to get kids to eat right, especially when it comes to vegetables. And for years, there has been no simple solution to help resolve the problem that many moms and dads face.
Well, parents, we have amazing news! In a game-changing study from the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (JNEB), researchers found the secret to getting kids to eat healthily. Surprisingly, it's not that crazy, or difficult to implement.
So what's the big secret? Watching videos.
Sure, it sounds silly but as JNEB found in their studies, preschoolers who watched a short video of kids eating bell peppers later ate more of the vegetables themselves.
In other words: monkey see, monkey do.
The key is to start early in a child's development. Children are especially impressionable in the formative ages of 3 to 5. Introducing videos or visual examples of other children eating healthy foods like fruits and veggies should increase their interest in healthy foods.
The increase in consumption isn't detected immediately. For example, in the study conducted by JNEB, children who watched videos of other kids eating healthy foods (in this case bell peppers) ate around 16g of bell peppers a week after beginning the study. Within the same week, children who were not exposed to the videos ate only 6g of bell peppers.
Clearly there is an increase in appetite for healthier food as a result of watching the videos, but it takes a little while to see results.
These studies are in their infancy at this point, but it appears that the JNEB has presented some pretty important findings.
Parents struggle to get their kids to eat right, and, as a result, their children can have poor diets. With severe health risks like diabetes, childhood obesity, and cardiovascular disease afflicting children, it's important to get kids interested in eating healthy at an early age. These new findings may be the trick you've been looking for to get your kids to eat right!
Also Read: 11 Ways To Make Your Child Eat More Vegetables
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