Vegetables Make Kids More fond of eating

Illustration (dok: Thinkstock)

Apparently vegetables not only contain vitamins and minerals that are essential for health. The proof is a new study found that vegetables can also increase a person's appetite.

According to a team of researchers from Cornell University, U.S., put the vegetables in the main menu can also encourage one to believe that his dinner was delicious.

Even just by serving vegetables for dinner makes one think that the people who serve or host is a more thoughtful and attentive.

Unfortunately, according to a survey from the National Diet and Nutrition, only one in 10 children in the UK who actually run the government recommendations to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.

"In America, only 23 percent of the people who provide vegetables as the dinner menu. That means we need to find some new motivation to encourage parents to serve vegetables as the main ingredients of the diet at home," said lead researcher Brian Wansink, who was a professor of marketing and consumer behavior from Cornell University.

To that end, the study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition 500 respondents included mothers who had at least two children younger than 18 years old and live at home.

The child was asked to rate the taste of the four were partially supplemented diet of vegetables and some will not. They were also asked to describe the people who prepare and serve food and to identify their favorite vegetables and serving as what they like to the vegetables.

As a result, of the four food served, the addition of vegetables was indeed able to increase the positive response of the child so that the menu served to look more 'complete', 'fun', 'tasty' and prepared with full consideration.

Research questions about favorite vegetables participants also revealed the diversity of preferences of the child, indicating that nearly all children have at least one type of vegetable they like best.

"These findings reinforce the concept that vegetables make a menu of food served to be more attractive. Moreover, if only to say that vegetables are good for health alone may not be enough. Shows that vegetables are an addition to the pleasure of eating dinner can also be an effective strategy," explained Professor Wansink as reported by the Daily Mail, Wednesday (11/21/2012).

Wansink also recommended the addition of a variety of vegetables are offered to children and change the menu according to the age of the child.

"If parents knew that adding the vegetables on the dinner menu can create menus that look more tempting or attractive and encourage their families to have a better perception of what they consume then maybe they will be more inspired to serve vegetables," he concluded.

Source:  Daily Mail