According to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a third of high school students eat vegetables less than once a day. This is far less than the four to five servings a day that they should be getting.

This report is probably no surprise to parents who often struggle with getting their children to eat vegetables and who feel guilty if they are unsuccessful in their attempts.

Why don’t kids like vegetables?

It may help to recognize that we're born preferring sweet tastes; we have to learn to like everything else, says Edward Abramson, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist and author of It’s Not Just Baby Fat. This inborn preference is a survival mechanism as some sour or bitter substances are poisonous or inedible but very few sweet substances are harmful. Liking sweet tastes has therefore been passed down to us.

So, most of the time, our kids are not being willfully disobedient, says Abramson. They are just acting on an inherited preference for sweet foods.

Other factors can also contribute to your chances of success with vegetables. If your child was breastfed, you may have an easier time introducing vegetables to your child because breast milk varies from day to day based on mom’s diet. Since breastfed babies are exposed to different tastes, it can be less troublesome getting them to try something new. Babies who are fed a formula that always tastes basically the same may be less accepting of new tastes.

So, what can parents do?

Abramson offers a few tips to get your kids to eat their veggies without getting into a battle of wills.

• Recognize that it may take many attempts before a child will accept new food. It can take 10 or more repetitions before they may try something new. Be patient.
• Offer the vegetable and if your child refuses, don’t get upset, plead, or engage in lengthy discussions about how “vegetables are good for you.” Instead, just move on to another topic and try again on another day.
• Let your child see you enjoying a vegetable dish and eat it with enthusiasm. Curiosity will eventually get the better of them and they’ll give it a try.
• When introducing vegetables for the first time, start with sweeter vegetables like peas, carrots or sweet potatoes. Save the stronger, more bitter tastes (spinach, asparagus, and brussels sprouts) for later when eating vegetables has become routine.
• Ask your child how they would like their vegetables prepared. A sprinkling of cheese or a particular seasoning can make vegetables more appetizing.
• If you are still having trouble and your child is old enough, ask them to help you cook a meal. Your child may be less likely to refuse something that they helped make.
• You can also have your child help you plant a vegetable garden and engage them in watering, harvesting and cooking what you’ve grown.

If you are patient, persistent and set a good example, you’ll likely meet with success.

Sources:

Food Navigator

Psychology Today