Parents struggle to get their kids to eat vegetables, it is not only seen in Singapore but other countries as well.

– Singapore:
In an online statement released by Health Promotion Board about the quality of food served in school canteens, they found

Only 25% of children aged seven to 12 years, are served the recommended servings of vegetables and fruit daily. Additionally, among those aged 13-16 years, less than half are consuming the recommended servings of vegetables and fruit per day. Statistics also show that obesity among the young is 9.7%.

 

– Australia:

Almost 99% of all children and adolescents (2 to 18 years) in Australia are not meeting their daily recommended vegetable intake.

 

– UK:

Only 1 in 5 children eats vegetables daily.

 

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Reasons for picky eating: 

1. Neophobia- Fear of new food.  (Not exposed to a variety of food)
   Fear of new or unknown foods, also known as food neophobia, is a natural behaviour seen in toddlers; and this behaviour peaks when the child is between 2 to 6 six years old. In addition, this is the period when the child starts to develop independence in his food choices and tastes. Hence the combination of these two factors often end up in dinnertime war between parent and child, and sometimes with the other half.
2. Unpalatable taste– Vegetables are bitter in nature thus most kids will reject/ avoid them. This bitter taste is due to the presence of naturally-occurring calcium and phytonutrients. Phytonutrients is an umbrella term for plant-based phenols and polyphenols, flavonoids, isoflavones, terpenes, and glucosinolates, and serve as the plant’s natural self-defense system.

Plants protect themselves from being bitten by predators by making these bitter-tasting compounds (i.e. phytonutrients). However, these phytonutrients do good things for us! Apparently, they are reported to have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties, as well as tumour-blocking activities. Therefore, diets high in vegetables and fruits are often associated with lower rates of cancer and heart disease.

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Other benefits of vegetables:

Vegetables are high in important nutrients needed for the child’s proper growth and development, such as folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C,  dietary fibre. These nutrients are found in most vegetables, particularly dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli & spinach, and orange-yellow coloured vegetables such as carrots & yellow capsicums.

Hence, the child is more likely to face the following health problems if he/she have low or no vegetable intake daily:

• Obesity
• Constipation
• Infections
• Poor growth and development

Fruits and vegetables of different colour groups provide us with different vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, therefore it is important that the child consumes a wide variety of both fruits and vegetables to get the maximum nutrients that these different fruits and vegetables provide. Furthermore, some fruits are higher in calories, and excessive consumption can lead to weight gain. This can be problematic if the child is overweight from the start, and is replacing his vegetable intake with fruits.

Some parents might also think of buying a kid-formulated vegetable supplement for their child as a replacement for not eating vegetables, but it is not advisable to do so. This is because vegetables provide us with a whole lot of other components which are hard to mimic in a supplement. Hence it is still advisable to encourage the child to consume his vegetables wherever possible.

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Problems parents face with picky eaters:

• Refuse to eat
• Play with food
• Eat less than usual
• Dislike vegetables, fruit, meat or milk
• Dislike chewing
• Demand the same food at every meal
• Prefer ‘junk food’ to healthy food
• Make a mess on the table
• Throw tantrums at mealtimes
• These behaviours can surprise and trouble parents who want to ensure healthy eating

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Exposure

As mentioned earlier, humans have an innate aversion to bitter- and sour-tasting foods, so why is it that as we grow older, we suddenly have a liking for broccoli, brussel sprouts, lemons, and the like? Did our taste buds change, you ask? The answer is no. It is because we have grown to like these bitter- and sour-tasting foods as time goes by. Think back to yourself – whilst we do not expect ourselves to like something that is fed to us for the first time, especially if it is not pleasant-tasting, often we become sensitized to that unpleasant taste when there is repeated exposure (to that food). The same can be said to children. The child would need at least 10 to 15 (repeated) exposures to a new food before accepting it.

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Infographics of Top Foods Children will not eat:

 

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How to make my child like vegetables?

1. Be patient – go slow and steady. Children are generally scared to try anything new, especially more so if the food is not palatable in the first place. As such, it is not advisable to force-feed your child a vegetable.
   Best advice for parents would be to start off by offering the child different variety of vegetables every day, not just the ones your child likes. It is alright if the child rejects or only eats a small amount of the new food at the first instance. The key is not to give up.
   It generally takes 10 to 15 (or even sometimes up to 20) repeated exposures before a child accepts the new food.
2. Parents should aim to make mealtime an enjoyable dining experience. Getting frustrated will not solve problems; instead, it leads to more anxiety and frustration, and might lead to fussy eating behaviours in the child.
3. Role Model
   Children are great imitators, hence if your child sees you eating and enjoying a wide variety of nutritious food, the higher the chances of your child enjoying his food.
4. Involve the child
   Getting him involved in the grocery shopping or food preparation might just be the key to your problem. For example, asking the child to pick out his favourite fruit and vegetable during grocery shopping or helping in simple food preparation tasks at home such as washing and preparing the various fruits and vegetables might spark his/her interest in these foods. Engaging your child in such activities is also a good opportunity for your child to learn more about the various fruits and vegetables.
5. Avoid using food as a reward or bribe
   Another mistake that parents make is telling their child they will give X if the child eats a certain food, which in this case, is vegetable. This is not a healthy way to make the child eat his vegetables. Instead, the child will quickly learn ways to manipulate their parents. For example, they will learn that for them to eat their favourite foods, all they need to do is to refuse to eat a particular food. Doing so not only sets the child up for unhealthy eating habits, but also predisposes him to health problems later on in life.
6. Try serving vegetables and in different cooking styles
   It is important for the parent to recognize that each child has different taste and texture preferences. A child who prefers softer textured foods might prefer vegetables which are more well-cooked, and vice versa. It might also be useful to serve sweeter vegetables such as pumpkin, sweetcorn or cauliflower alongside with other (new) vegetables. In addition, serving different colours of vegetables together is quite visually appealing.If possible, avoid serving your child blended vegetables. Doing so is not only not visually appealing, but it doesn’t allow expose your child to the different (food) textures. Instead, try offering your child small portions of the new vegetable and/or experiment with different cooking styles or recipes.

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Reflections:

Singapore kids are not keeping up with the amount of vegetables intake and research shows that it is due to pickiness in vegetables.

Picky eating is caused by Food Neophobia and Unpalatable taste.

Picky eaters can reject many food like vegetables, meat, milk etc. (Due to the taste/ textures). Most kids reject vegetables. This is a common sight in children or even adults. Food Neophobia- the fear of the food (vegetables) due to little exposure of the food. Vegetables taste bitter too which naturally shows sign of poison and potential toxicity which makes kids/ humans avoid them.

 

> Research more on Food Neophobia and Taste.

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Cheang, R. (2017, September 18). My Children Don’t Eat Vegetables: Why? Consequences & Smart Solutions. Retrieved from https://blackpaint.sg/get-children-to-eat-vegetables/