Often adults don’t give kids credit for being the intelligent little munchkins that they are. Then, out comes a study that makes you go hmmm… or DUH!… depending on how well you know kids.
A few years ago researchers at the Sesame Workshop gathered a group of preschoolers to see if their taste buds could be manipulated by a bunch of sneaky grown ups. As part of the study the kids were first asked to choose between a mouthwatering chocolate bar or some pretty broccoli fresh from the garden. The results: 78% of the kids chose the candy bar while 22% picked the garden fresh veggies.
I’d love to meet the parents of the 22%, but I digress.
The crafty adult researchers then upped the ante by placing Elmo stickers on the broccoli and decorating the chocolate bar with some unknown character. In what the study’s author calls “remarkable,” 50% of the kids chose the broccoli while the other 50% went with the candy.
Nothing like manipulating kids’ tastes buds with the help of a little red monster.
So, what message does a study like this send to parents who are desperate to get their children to eat more than just chicken nuggets, grilled cheese sandwiches and hot dogs?
Slap some Sponge Bob stickers on spinach? Tattoo Tinker Bell on turnips? What if citrus growers produced commercials for oranges that featured Transformers or Scooby Doo? And what about Strawberry Shortcake and her fruitastic buddies Apple Dumplin’, Raspberry Tart, Peach Blush and Huckleberry Pie? So much potential there. Strawberry and crew could easily be used to get kids to down their daily dose of nutrients berry, berry easily.
Can you imagine if farmers partnered with Nickelodeon or Disney to emblazon the likes of Phineas and Ferb, Mickey Mouse, and the Penguins of Madagascar on the contents of your veggie drawer? Kids would be sneaking snow peas embellished with Shrek or Snow White into shopping carts and begging for packages of Snoopy string beans.
What types of tricks do you use to get your kids to eat healthy?
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