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DINNER TIME DEADLOCK

72% OF PARENTS STRUGGLE TO GET THEIR CHILDREN TO EAT HEALTHILY

TEACH YOUR MONSTER

Dr Lucy Cooke, psychologist and child feeding specialist & Alex Goss, games developer at Teach Your Monster join the show....

Getting children into healthy eating habits can feel like a never-ending battle, with a new poll of 1,020 American parents showing that two-thirds (66%) argue with their children over mealtimes on average twice a week.

While parents are desperate for their children to be more adventurous, 79% find themselves cooking the same meals over and over again, and 16% admitted that they have given up even trying to get their children to try new foods altogether.

Dreams of their children enjoying quinoa, steamed broccoli and sautéed spinach have gone out of the window, with many reporting that their children would turn their nose up at anything new – causing 55% of parents to feel embarrassed by their children’s diet.

Mealtime anxiety is something experienced by most parents, with 66% saying they often have arguments, 57% negotiating with their children over what they will and won’t eat, and 29% of parents saying they often feel upset that their children won’t even try the meal they have cooked for them.

Almost all (98%) parents said it was important to them that their children eat healthily, but 35% are still not managing to get five fruits and vegetables into their children’s diet every day.

Here's a few ideas to help parents feed their children healthier food:

 Keep unhealthy foods out of the house as much as possible. If it isn’t in the cupboard it won’t get eaten.

1. Be a good role model. Let your child see you eating (and enjoying) healthy foods.
2. You will probably have eaten lots of meals together as a family over the Holidays. Try to keep this up this year.
3. Don’t ban sweets and treats altogether – It just makes children want them more. But try offering fresh or dried fruit as a treat for a change.
4. Be positive – talk about how tasty and delicious healthy foods are.
5. Use apps like Teach Your Monster’s ‘Adventurous Eating’ game to help your child get excited about fruit and vegetables in a fun way.

Top 20 Fruits and Vegetables Children Refuse to Eat

Eggplant | 46.18%
Beetroot | 40.78%
Avocado | 38.14%
Butternut squash | 37.16%
Mushroom | 36.37%
Radish | 34.71%
Okra | 34.02%
Cabbage | 33.14%
Cauliflower | 33.04%
Broccoli | 32.06%
Zucchini  | 31.76%
Satsuma | 31.47%
Fig | 29.51%
Red cabbage | 29.41%
Parsnip | 28.63%
Onion | 27.84%
Date | 26.76%
Cherry tomato | 24.51%
Garlic | 24.02%
Plantain | 23.73%

TEACH YOUR MONSTER