Nursery World - A Unique Child: Nutrition

There is no getting around the fact that children tend to dislike
certain vegetables, so the best way to ensure they eat them as part of a
healthy diet is to get creative. June Graham offers some tips.

It can often be very difficult to encourage children to eat certain foods, and this is especially true of vegetables. Children often seem predisposed to avoid green things on their plates, but is there a reason for this? It could be that the taste is just too bitter or unpalatable for them.

Babies and young children are now known to have twice as many tastebuds as adults do. Adults have around 5,000, whereas youngsters may have as many as 10,000. The tastebuds are replaced about every two weeks but, gradually, some cease to be replaced as we grow. Because young children have more tastebuds, the flavour of food is more intense, and many vegetables can taste very bitter. Is there anything we can do to promote their consumption in this age group?

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