Vegetables are not exactly the tastiest and most appealing food you could eat, so it does make sense that children have an aversion to them.
Still, it’s should be an important part of of their diet.
However, according to an alarming new study, one in five toddlers have never tried a vegetable in their life. What that basically means is that for some years now they have been deprived essential nutrients and vitamins they need to grow.
“A survey found that parents have been so tired of the daily eating battle that they have stopped trying altogether,” said a Parent Herald report. “As a result, more than 30,000 toddlers based in the UK are not getting their 5-a-day, which is the consumption of at least five portions of fruits and vegetables daily.”
Meanwhile, in the United States, only 30% of one-year-olds eat vegetables.
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys also said that it is during this time that toddlers are being introduced to junk food and form a dependency toward it.
To their credit, parents have tried myriad tactics and tricks to get their children to eat vegetables, such as using the television as a distraction. But soon they get tired o trying, and eventually relents to feeding their children tastier food.
“Since teaching kids to eat healthy food early on is associated with increased acceptance of these foods later on, the study encourages parents to persist,” said the Parent Herald report. “The study suggests the importance of introducing a variety of vegetable to kids during the early stages of reluctance.”
Vegetables posses a cornucopia of nutrients that help develop children’s bodies better.
Calcium, found in leafy greens and milk, develop and strengthen bones.
The Vitamin A found in carrots and other vegetables promotes healthy eyes and skin.
Vitamin C and lycopene found in tomatoes and other brightly colored vegetables are antioxidants that kill cancer-causing elements.
If your children are picky eaters and you as a parent don’t do anything to counter it, then it will cause them to have troubles physically and mentally later on, which you won’t wish upon them.
READ: 5 ways moms can get their kids to eat vegetables
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