Berlin (dpa) - Parents should pay attention to colour, appearance
and texture when trying to make healthy food appealing to their
children's tastes.
"Colourful, crunchy pieces of fruit go quicker into a child's
mouth than colourless fruit," said Monika Niehaus, a paediatrician in
Germany.
Brown spots on fruit and vegetables, or a slimy texture, such as
that of some types of mushrooms, cause most children to reject the
piece of food, said Niehaus, spokeswoman for Germany's professional
association of paediatricians, citing the results of studies
conducted by the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands.
Parents should take advantage of the fact that children are
creatures of habit.
"If they always eat fruit or vegetables at a certain time, as
dessert, for example, they reach for it more frequently," Niehaus
said.
Vegetables typically are not popular with most children. But when
parents give their children a choice of several types of vegetables,
they tend to start helping themselves, said Niehaus. Every child
likes at least one type of vegetable. Tomatoes or cucumbers are often
their choice. Strawberries and apples are typically favourite fruits
among children.
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