We all know that they should consume five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. This important public health message has been around for a while now. This is great because eating more fruits and vegetables is linked to positive outcomes. You end up consuming fewer calories, being less obese, and having a lower risk of developing various diseases. Fruit and vegetable-rich diets have also improved cognitive performance in children especially. This translates to better psychological health and well-being later in life.
However, getting kids to eat various fruits is difficult for many families. How do you encourage a child to eat vegetables? Although many people lump fruit and vegetables together when discussing a balanced diet, persuading children to eat veggies is sometimes challenging for many families. Fruits are naturally sweeter than vegetables, making them more appealing to children who prefer sweet foods. Breast milk is sweet, and eating sweet foods is suitable for survival when food supplies are few from an evolutionary standpoint. Parents often get a lot of information about what their children should eat. But at times, a more straightforward approach will help children eat healthier. A fun approach will help cultivate a healthy relationship with food. That’s why we should play games related to food.
Culinary online Games
You can set goals for kids and give them treats for winning and believe me some games are so fun and can be played not just by kids. Culinary school has come up with a selection of online games that appeal to children and adults, I liked the puzzle farm, it’s a fun game and also a great place to talk about animals, healthy food and global warming with your children. This is important because many children’s games are now on electronic tablets in our increasingly digital society. These games are not expensive and provide much-needed fun and education. There is evidence that educational applications can aid young children’s letter and phonics recognition skills. They will also learn skills such as counting and number identification. There is less study on the possible psychological benefits of apps for young children, such as eating behavior. We know that visual exposure to vegetables through picture books increases vegetable consumption.
Food intake modeling
Children learn by watching their elders. Children may be more ready to try new foods if they see other children, adults, or ‘characters’ do so (i.e., positive modeling of food intake). Through observational learning, modeling eating and appreciating a dish is likely to boost consumption in youngsters. This may be one reason why many children are reported as less fussy at nursery or pre-school than at home. Some teachers will pair more picky children with classmates who are ‘plate-cleaners’. This can be a great way to get picky kids to try new foods.
Using incentives to encourage taste
Using one food as a reward for eating another has been shown in several studies to be ineffective in boosting liking. The enticement of “You can have some chocolate if you eat your broccoli” may result in a child gobbling up their broccoli to receive the chocolate. Still, it is unlikely to inspire a long-term passion for broccoli. Indeed, broccoli is likely to be regarded as a punishment that the youngster must bear to receive their chocolate award. Such techniques are likely to increase sweet food preferences while decreasing the intrinsic value of healthy meals.
Playing games with your senses
In the community, they use sensory game-based therapies to support families trying to reduce fussy eating. According to anecdotal evidence,’ messy play’ games with foods might help reduce fear and increase the desire to try new cuisines. Activities like playing with foods lessen anxiety and fear of new foods (e.g., making pictures with food, playing bingo with food).
Growing, cooking, shopping, and tasting activities help create multimodal exposure. They teach children awareness and understanding of food qualities. It also helps encourage new food. Children are more likely to taste a meal if they cook or cultivate it, and enabling children to play bingo with natural foods has been shown to increase consumption. Cooking, producing, and playing with food appears to be a joyful experience extending to the meals themselves.
Final Word
Fun with food will provide your kids with a different approach to their relationship with food. They will learn what ingredients go into their daily food. When you have time, use the great games from Culinary school.