Dr Michelle Dickinson: nanotechnologist on new research stating that less pressure helps kids eat their greens at mealtimes

Scientists have found the secret to getting kids to eat their greens and it’s much simpler than you might think.  New research published in the journal JAMA Network Open found that giving children 10 more minutes to consume what’s on their plate resulted in them consuming 7 more mouthfuls of fruit and vegetables than if they were restrained to a twenty minute dinner time.  The study took 50 children aged between 6 and 11 years old and fed them dinner with their family.  The dinner consisted of a plate with sliced bread, slices of meat and cheese and bite-sized pieces of fruits and vegetables.  In the first feeding, the family sat down for what they considered to be a normal mealtime – around 20 minutes on average.  The next meal was set to be 50 percent longer than the previous meal, which added around 10 minutes on average to the dinner time.  The results showed that in the extended dinner scenario, children ate 3.3 more mouthfuls of fruit and 3.6 extra mouthfuls of vegetables, totalling an extra 100g or one portion of fruits and vegetables.  They also drank an extra 50ml of water when given more time.  The children ate more slowly and were fuller for longer after the extended dinner time, which meant they were less likely to snack between meals.  Interestingly, the children did not eat any more meat or bread during the extended time, just fruits and vegetables which the researchers believe may be due to the convenient bite-sized portions available on the plate.  While many parents battle it out with broccoli at the dinner table, desperately trying to entice their children to take one more bite – this research shows that taking the pressure off mealtimes could be the easiest way to help your child to eat more of the green stuff.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.