1 In 5 Toddlers Have Never Tried a Vegetable, Survey Shows

16 May 2016 --- It is estimated that more than 30,000 toddlers in the UK are not getting any of their five a day, as new British research has found that almost one in five two-year-olds have never tried a vegetable.

The survey found that the toddlers had never tried a vegetable because their parents had given up trying to make them eat them. Over a quarter of frustrated parents (28%) spend an average one day a year trying to persuade their children to eat them.

Studies have shown if a child's problem is short-term, it is unlikely to do any harm. But long term refusal to eat a diet containing calcium, protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber could stunt development.

Lack of calcium – found in milk and leafy green vegetables – can lay the foundations for weak bones while a deficiency of B vitamins can cause nerve problems. Deficiency vitamin A – found in carrots and other vegetables – can harm eyesight.

Fussy eating has also been linked to serious mental problems with studies linking even moderate levels of pickiness with greater levels of depression and anxiety.
However, the latest survey, commissioned by baby food firm Ella's Kitchen, found parent's desperate pleas of 'they're good for you' and 'just a little' don't work.

The parents admitted trying a variety of tactics to convince their little ones to eat their food, with one in three using the television as a distraction tool and almost half disguising food to make it more appealing.

Previous studies have found that giving babies vegetables during the early stages of weaning is associated with increased acceptance of foods, and makes them more likely to eat them later in childhood. However, the research, published in Nutrition Bulletin, also shows one in three parents felt nervous, deflated or confused during the weaning process.

This has led to less than a quarter of babies being given vegetables as a first food.

Experts encourage parents to persist, even when it looks like they don't like a certain food.

Often, children pull faces but this is because babies have heightened senses and so they need to touch, taste and smell things around them and this includes food. 

Mark Cuddigan, managing director of Ella's Kitchen, said: “We know that introducing a variety of veg during weaning helps steer little ones towards a taste for vegetables which stays with them throughout childhood and beyond, with all the associated health benefits.”

Dr Lucy Chambers, British Nutrition Foundation, said: “This review highlights that familiarizing infants with a wide variety of vegetables during the early weaning period is positively associated with increased acceptance and intake of these foods in later childhood.” 

“This is really exciting as we know that the foods most often disliked and rejected by children are vegetables, particularly those that are bitter, such as dark leafy vegetables, and that intake of these foods has many health benefits."