Imagine a dinner table where kids take one look at their plate, spot something green, and grimace like they\u2019re facing a public speaking exam. Turns out, this scenario is a lot more common than we\u2019d like to think\u2014and experts are getting worried about what it means for children\u2019s health.
\nA Worrying Lack of Variety in Kids\u2019 Diets<\/p>\n
According to a recent OpinionWay survey carried out for HelloFresh in July, nearly one in four children eats no more than five different foods over the course of a week. That\u2019s right: five. And if you think kids are just being picky, the statistics go further\u201476% of children between the ages of 8 and 18 have never tried certain vegetables, like bok choy or parsnip.<\/p>\n
More than half of parents confess they\u2019re in a \u201cconstant struggle\u201d to get their kids to eat these elusive veggies. The reasons vary. Some families point to tight budgets, while others simply don\u2019t have the time. The result? Kids\u2019 plates remain unbalanced, and tiredness can hit them as early as breakfast time. <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe body is like a set of scales,\u201d says Laurence Plumey, a physician-nutritionist and founder of the Napso-Therapy method. \u201cIt\u2019s all about balance. We have to respect it and give it what it needs to feed the billions of cells that make us who we are.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Vegetables: The Missing Guests at Dinner<\/p>\n
So, who\u2014or rather, what\u2014is missing from children\u2019s plates? Vegetables, of course. Many parents admit they simply don\u2019t know how to prepare them in a way that appeals to their kids. Laurence Plumey understands:<\/p>\n
\n \u201cPressed for time, parents end up making something fast and easy at night. The classic menu\u2014steak, chicken, rice or pasta\u2014gets universal approval. Just add cheese to the pasta to make it taste good! No one likes plain boiled vegetables. You need culinary creativity to make them enjoyable.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Plumey isn\u2019t surprised by these survey findings. She believes our issue with vegetables is a reflection of our overall poor dietary habits:<\/p>\n
\n \u201cEven at restaurants, you rarely find vegetables on the menu. It does children no favors to limit them like this. The less they eat vegetables as kids, the less likely they are to enjoy them as adults.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Why Veggies Matter\u2014A Lot<\/p>\n
Despite everything, vegetables are still our greatest nutritional allies. Packed with vitamins (like B, C, and K), minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients, they\u2019ve got some serious health benefits: <\/p>\n
They help fight off diseases (yes, even cancer)
\nBoost blood vessel health
\nSharpen our memory
\nPower up our immune system
\nDelay the effects of aging<\/p>\n
They\u2019re low in calories, which helps maintain a healthy weight and avoid extra pounds. Veggies hydrate us and allow our bodies to regenerate. <\/p>\n
\n \u201cAll foods complement each other. A healthy diet must be varied: you\u2019ll only get calcium from dairy, there\u2019s no substitute; fiber and antioxidants can only be found in fruits and vegetables; and energy-rich proteins are hidden in eggs. We need everything, in moderation,\u201d adds Laurence Plumey.\n<\/p>\n
How to Bring Veggies Back to the Table<\/p>\n
For Plumey, veggies should be part of every meal:<\/p>\n
\n \u201cRaw or cooked, they offer things that no other food does. They aid digestion: the gut microbiome loves vegetables, but you should know that starches ferment and disrupt it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
The amount of vitamins and nutrients differs from one fruit or vegetable to another. Plumey recommends mixing things up:<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe\u2019re lucky in France to have so many vegetable varieties. You can make them into soups, salads (with lettuce, tomatoes, endive, and so on), gratins (cauliflower, spinach\u2026), or simply boil some carrots.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Her tip: prepare them in advance. Still, 42% of the parents surveyed don\u2019t cook vegetables because they don\u2019t like them\u2014and, as a result, their children never taste them either. They admit that spending time in the kitchen helps families discover new foods. Cooking together not only involves kids in the meal (sometimes changing even the pickiest eater\u2019s mind!), but also empowers them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Imagine a dinner table where kids take one look at their plate, spot something green, and grimace like…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275208,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[97,269],"class_list":{"0":"post-275207","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}