Young children dislike bitter melon and eggplant the most. The key period for correction is before 4 years old.

Do your children have picky eating habits? According to a survey conducted by nutritionists at Tainan Municipal Hospital, one in three children has a picky eating problem, especially vegetables. Among the vegetables, the top three vegetables that children dislike the most are bitter melon, eggplant and yam. Nutritionists point out that picky eating will affect children's brain and body muscle development, and will also affect their learning performance. They recommend that parents improve their children's picky eating habits. Four years old is a critical period. As long as parents pay more attention to meals, they can improve their children's picky eating habits sooner.

Nutritionists from Nanshi Medical College teach creative cooking methods to improve children’s picky eating habits. (Photo courtesy of Tainan Municipal Hospital)

Gong Fangyi, a nutritionist at the Taipei City Medical College, pointed out that according to a survey conducted by the Children's Welfare Alliance, about 50% of children in Taiwan do not eat fresh fruits every day, and 40% do not eat vegetables every day. They are addicted to sugary drinks, snacks and fried foods. Long-term unbalanced diet may cause children to suffer from obesity, growth retardation, constipation, inattention and depression, and may also increase the risk of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes in the future.

To overcome children's picky eating habits, we must first understand the reasons for their picky eating habits, such as whether they dislike food that is too hard, too strong in taste, has a bad taste, or cannot accept the appearance of the food. Based on the reasons why children dislike food, we can change the cooking methods of the food to improve their acceptance of the food. For example, if children have a poor acceptance of the appearance of certain fruits and vegetables, we can use fruits and vegetables and other ingredients to arrange them into cartoon patterns to arouse their interest in eating.

If the food has a strong taste, such as onions and other ingredients, you can change the cooking method, such as using curry for seasoning, to reduce the child's rejection. Parents should adopt an encouraging approach and avoid scolding, so that the child can understand the benefits of food. For foods that the child does not like, the principle is to try a bite first. Using some cute tableware at the right time can also increase the child's willingness to eat.

Gong Fangyi emphasized that the older children get, the more independent they become, and they will be more resistant to things they have never tried. In addition, children around 4 years old are also easier to communicate with, so parents should let their children try different flavors at this time and let their children accept fruits and vegetables from an early age.

In addition, children prefer sweet and sour tastes. Parents can make use of the colorful colors of fruits and vegetables and change the cooking methods, such as dicing and making animal shapes to arouse children's interest. Adding vegetables and mashed radish to minced meat can also allow children to gradually get used to the taste. Alternatively, parents can let children do it themselves, which will make them feel involved and more willing to accept vegetables, thus improving bad eating habits.