Offer vegetables early and often to fussy toddlers, study says

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Children can learn to eat new vegetables if they are introduced regularly before the age of two, suggests a University of Leeds study.

Even fussy eaters can be encouraged to eat more greens if they are offered them five to 10 times, it found.

The research team gave artichoke puree to 332 children aged between four and 38 months from the UK, France and Denmark.

One in five cleared their plates while 40% learned to like artichoke.

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After 24 months children become reluctant to try new things and start to reject foods”

Prof Marion Hetherington

University of Leeds

The study also dispelled the popular myth that vegetable tastes need to be masked in order for children to eat them.

During the study, each child was given between five and 10 servings of at least 100g of artichoke puree.

The puree was either served straight, or sweetened with added sugar, or vegetable oil was mixed into the puree to add energy.

The researchers found there was little difference in the amount eaten over time between those who were fed the basic puree and those who had the sweetened one, suggesting that making vegetables sweeter does not encourage children to eat more.

Overall, they did find that younger children ate more artichoke than older children in the study.

Pureed artichoke was fed several times to each child in the study

Prof Marion Hetherington, study author from the Institute of Psychological Sciences at Leeds, said this was because children become picky and wary at a certain age.

"If they are under two they will eat new vegetables because they tend to be willing and open to new experiences.

"After 24 months, children become reluctant to try new things and start to reject foods - even those they previously liked."

Most children in the study were found to be "learners" (40%), who ate more artichoke over time. 

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