Kids eat 80 pc more vegetables when allowed to choose

A new study conducted at the University of Granada has found that children eat up to 80 percent more vegetables when they are allowed to choose.

Researchers have also found that the bitterness of calcium -which is noticeably present in vegetables such as spinchs, collard greens cabbage, onions, chard or broccoli- can be a factor negatively influencing children’s consumption of vegetables

For their findings, the researchers analyzed the main factors determining vegetable consumption in children under 6 years by evaluating the effectiveness of a strategy called «Provision of choice».

In this strategy children were allowed to choose the vegetables they wanted to take in each meal.

Researchers worked with 150 children at four public schools in Granada, Spain. Children were allowed to choose the vegetables they wanted to eat for lunch.

The kids were found with increase consumption of vegetables by up to 80 percent.

They further noted that children who were allowed to choose ingested 20 grams more, representing an average of 40 grams per day between lunch and dinner.

Given that the ration of vegetables served was 150 grams, «it is a very important quantity», said study’s authors.

The study was published in the international journal Brain Research Bulletin.

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