Top tactics to feed fussy eaters

Thursday, 3 February 2011 12:02 PM

Inventive mums are employing clever techniques to make sure their kids are eating well. Over 60% of mums admit their children play cunning tricks to avoid eating foods that are good for them, so one in four (21%) admitted bribing their kids with games and days out to get them to eat more healthily.

The Kingsmill Seeded Study, to launch The Secretly Seeded One loaf, also found one third (31%) of mums confessed their children hide food in their school bag and/or bedroom, 28% have caught kids giving their dinner to the family pet.

Food writer Jo Pratt recommends getting inventive and stealthy to ensure your children get the nutrition they need.

“Cook fresh chopped vegetables with tinned tomatoes, garlic, onion and olive oil then blend until smooth. Use this ‘tomato’ sauce as a tasty pasta sauce, pizza topping, or even as a base to tomato soup,” she said.

“You can also make your own milkshakes, smoothies and puree to get more fruit into your children’s diet.”

Children as young as three crave fast food

Tastebuds recognise salt, sugar and fat from childhood

Children as young as three years old can express a preference for salt, sugar and fat - and recognise fast food and fizzy drink brands, according to research from the University of Oregon.

 Jamie Oliver's fish range is aimed at families

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Jamie Oliver has launched his own frozen fish range with Young’s Seafood Limited, championing high quality, sustainable alternatives to species like cod and haddock. The Jamie Oliver by Young’s range, made in Grimsby, will go on sale next month.
Families eat less fruit and vegetables

Families ditch fruit and veg when children are born

Families have a worse diet than singletons or childless couples. That's the view of researchers at the University of Reading, who found adults without children ate 2kg (4lbs) more fruits and veg over a fortnight.

 Many children eat crisps every day

Almost one in five children 'eat crisps every day'

Though the majority of British children appear to have adopted a healthy attitude towards nutrition, what they actually eat on a day to day basis is a very different matter indeed. Almost one in five, 17%, of children surveyed ate crisps every day.
Children influenced by fast food advertising

Food adverts do influence children's eating habits

Food advertising DOES influence a child's food choices - but parents have the chance to step in and influence their final decision. Only a third of children asked for chips after shown a healthy food advert, with supervision of their parents.

 Is there too much choice in terms of snacks?

Smarter snacking 'can reduce childhood obesity'

Children who are familiar with a snack food will expect it to be more filling, according to psychologists at the University of Bristol. This latest study into growing childhood obesity rates is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
A quarter of kids may be obese by 2050

Childhood obesity can lead to liver disease

British parents could be killing their kids with food, with new reports saying 500,000 children in England are at risk of developing life-threatening liver disease because they are overweight. 25% of UK kids will be clinically obese by 2050.

 Easter chocolate treats for kids

Let children control their Easter chocolate consumption

It seems reverse psychology really does work over the Easter period, as researchers at the University of Surrey find that children eat fewer chocolate eggs during the Easter holidays if parents let them decide how many they can have.

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The study commissioned by diet aid manufacturer Slimsticks, also discovered that a worrying one in five people have followed an ‘eating is cheating’ starvation diet and one in ten have tried a liquid diet.

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