Kids and Veggies

I heard a story on NPR the other morning that made me to perk up from my drowsiness. The discussion was about the psychology of food in terms of the vegetable appeal for kids. Everyone knows that “kids don’t like veggies” and the biggest challenge is getting the next generation to eat enough green leafy’s to consume the necessary nutrients. But, how do we do that without them knowing? But, more importantly, why shouldn’t they know?

I started to think about when I was a kid and getting home from school, I would go to the pantry or fridge for my afternoon snack. Hungry and tired, I would reach for whatever was the most convenient. (Hell, I do the same thing now coming home from work…although the afternoon snack moved from 3pm until about 7pm) My point is: if chips and cookies are the most convenient, that’s what I will be snacking on. If on the other hand, there are cut up fruits and veggies sitting on the counter when I walk in the door, I’ll take that. (Lesson learned: cut up the fruits and veggies, kids are much more likely to go for it if it is ready-to-eat) It is more about the presentation, the convenience, and the ease of accessibility that draws people to make the healthy choice.

This is exactly what the story on NPR said: if we get the kids to eat healthy by hiding it, they will never actually learn what is healthy and therefore will not be able to make those decisions for themselves later on in life. Instead, kids need to be presented with the option, but in a way in which they can make the right choice for themselves. The discussion, inevitably, turned to school lunches and the example was given regarding milk. Apparently, most kids don’t really care if their milk is chocolate or white, so by simply putting the white milk in a more accessible position, kids will be more likely to choose that over the chocolate.

Often hiding healthy food in another route many people take—or at least the media wants us to take. I think about those commercials where kids eating cans of ravioli or spaghetti-O’s while their Moms sit and say things like, “wow, and they don’t even know they are eating a full serving of vegetables in that can!”—Yeah, a full serving of vegetables… with a full day’s worth of sodium, and not to mention the artificial flavors, coloring, and preservatives! All that crap for one serving of vegetables. Come on, Mom, a carrot stick can give you that without the rest of it! There is no need to disguise or hide the good food so kids will eat it. We are so convinced that the kids don’t like vegetables; we don’t even give them a chance. And what to we end up teaching our kids? Well, a whole lot of fluff, it seems–but it’s in that peanut butter sandwich, so at least they are getting protein…

For further information: NPR Morning Edition Story