A new study shows that children can actually LEARN to eat vegetables! Yes, learn!
The experiment, according to TIME, consisted of 332 children. Each of them were given between five and 10 serving of artichoke puree.
There were three different types of puree: basic, sweetened and a puree with added vegetable oil.
By the end of the experiment one in five children completely finished the artichoke puree by clearing their plates. Two out of five children were able to learn to like artichokes.
The study got rid of that myth that the taste of the vegetable needs to be masked in order for a child to eat it.
Researchers also noted that adding sweetener to the artichoke puree did not affect whether the children learned to like the vegetable or not, compared to the basic puree with nothing added.
Researchers found that younger children ate more puree than the older children in the experiment.
Dr. Marion Hetherington, lead scientist of the study, said, “If you want to encourage your children to eat vegetables, make sure you start early and often. After 24 month children become reluctant to try new things and start to reject foods.”
Event those picky eaters can be persuaded into eating vegetables if they are offered the veggie between five and 10 times, according to BBC.
NHS guidelines are saying to wean children onto solid food by six months.