Getting kids to eat more veggies

Hiding pureed vegetables in your child’s favorite foods could help increase vegetable consumption while also cutting calories, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers at Penn State University worked with 39 children between the ages of three and six. Over the course of three separate days, the researchers fed the children modified meals that had been packed full of pureed vegetables.

"We incorporated several vegetables into the dishes, including broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, tomatoes and squash," explained lead author Maureen Spill. "We were pleased to find that the children found the vegetable-enhanced versions to be equally acceptable to the standard recipes."

While the children didn’t notice much of a difference in taste, the modified meals nearly doubled their daily intake of vegetables while cutting their caloric intake by about 11 percent.

Spill recommends serving vegetable-enhanced entrees with a side of veggies as well: "Together these strategies can substantially increase children’s vegetable intake while also teaching them to like vegetables," she noted.

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