Research is suggesting that by adding a flavorful dip to your child’s plate, you can encourage them to eat their vegetables. Meal times can be a time of incredible stress for parents. Their concerned with making sure that their children are getting the proper nutrients and vitamins, but they are constantly faced with a picky eater. A child will refuse to eat anything that is green or remotely healthy for them. Mom can try a lot of tips and hacks to get their children to at least try their veggies, but it turns out that she may just need to add some dip.
According to Psychology Today, research is showing that children may be more likely to eat their vegetables if a dip is served with them. Parents can be concerned about introducing dips, as they are often seen as “unhealthy” but the bigger picture may be that they are at least eating vegetables.
Studies have been done to show that less than 10% of children between the ages of 4 and 8 are eating the recommended daily number of vegetables, and this can be startling information and it can also hint that there are a lot more moms out there trying to find ways to increase vegetable intake than we had thought. The CDC also revealed a report on the fact that children are not consuming the number of vegetables they need.
A report was also published that showed that dip works well for getting children to eat their veggies. A team of researchers worked with children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old to come to this conclusion. Children were asked to identify which vegetables they did not like. Then they were offered that vegetable as well as an assortment of dips. The dips included pizza, ranch, herb, and garlic and a plan mayonnaise-based dip.
The results were very promising. It showed that at the beginning, 18% of children refused to eat a vegetable, but that dropped to only 6% when they were introduced with a dip. Even when a child liked a vegetable, their rating of it increased when a dip was added, which may help them consume more. While this may not be a guaranteed solution for picky eaters, it is another trick that mom can try, and she can involve her child in the picking out of dips or they can get really creative and make their own dips to try.
Sources: Psychology Today, CDC