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Only 20% of children eat vegetables every day

  • Survey found that 10 per cent of children also totally refuse to eat veg
  • 82 per cent of parents admitted their child was ‘too fussy’
  • A third of UK primary school students are overweight or obese

By
Anna Hodgekiss


PUBLISHED:

07:38 EST, 3 March 2014

|
UPDATED:

07:44 EST, 3 March 2014

Only one in five children eats vegetables every day – instead preferring processed food such as sausages and fish fingers, a survey has revealed. 

Just 19 per cent of parents said their
child eats vegetables every and of those who don’t, over half said their
child, ‘simply won’t eat them at all’.

The worrying findings come after latest figures showed that a third of final-year primary school students are overweight or obese.

Only one in five children eats vegetables every day – instead preferring processed food such as sausages and fish fingers, a survey has found

And last year it was revealed that children as young as 14 are having weight loss surgery, with 45 going under the knife in England since 2007.

The new survey, commissioned by Vouchercloud, also found that the average child in the UK eats just five different meals a week – including sausages, chips and fish fingers.

The study polled 1,912 parents with children aged 10 or under and revealed children only eat five different types of meal a week.

More than 80 per cent of parents also admitted their child was ‘too fussy’ – but nearly 40 per cent said they didn’t feel vegetables were necessary with every meal.

REVEALED: THE TOP 5 FAVOURITE DINNERS OF BRITISH CHILDREN

1) Spaghetti bolognese: 43%

2) Sausage and chips: 40%

3) Roast dinner: 37%

4) Sausage and mash: 35%

5) Fish fingers and chips: 35%

Just over 61 per cent of parents conceded their child’s diet was limited, but only 23 per cent had tried to broaden their child’s eating preferences.

Commenting on the latest research, Matthew Wood of Vouchercloud.com, said: ‘It was surprising to see just how few meals the average child eats, but seeing that so few parents have attempted to broaden their child’s eating habits explains a lot.’

Last month a study found that an aversion to eating greens is in the genes – rather than a child simply being a picky eater for no reason.

DNA also largely governs our taste for fruit, the University College London researchers found.

However, they say parents aren’t completely off the hook because a child’s appetite for chocolate, crisps, biscuits and chips is mainly fed by what happens at home. 

The researchers asked the parents of more than 1,300 pairs of twins how much their children liked 84 different foods.

Previous research has found that children who introduced to vegetables with a sauce – such as ketchup or cheese – are more likely to eat them plain later on

Salad was particularly disliked, followed by sprouts and mushrooms. 

And only four vegetables were actually liked – sweet corn, peas, tomatoes and carrots.  However, the tomatoes had to be tinned and the carrots cooked to pass muster.

But help may be at hand. Another study last month found that adding condiments such as ketchup and cheese sauce to vegetables can help develop a child’s taste for greens later in life.

Arizona Sate University researchers say children introduced to Brussels sprouts with cream cheese were more likely to eat them and say they liked them – even when they were later served plain.

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