Study suggests simple way to get children to eat more fruits, veggies

The fruits and vegetables were cut into bite-sized pieces which researchers believed were enticing for the children. (Pexels/Yan Krukau)

If children stay at the table for just 10 minutes longer during meal times, they are likely to consume more fruits and vegetables, a study conducted in Germany has shown.

The results of the randomized clinical trial, published in the JAMA Network Open on April 18, shows children ate, on average, 100 grams more fruits and vegetables when they stayed at the table for a total of 30 minutes.

Researchers hope the study can provide a starting point for families to improve their children’s nutritional health.

"This outcome has practical importance for public health because one additional daily portion of fruit and vegetables reduces the risk of cardiometabolic disease by 6 to 7 per cent," Jutta Mata, professor of health psychology at the University of Mannheim, said in a press release.

The German researchers from the university and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development experimented with 50 pairs of parents and 50 children between the ages of 6 and 11. There were equal numbers of boys and girls.

Sliced bread, cold cuts, cheese, fruit and vegetables were on the menu for the participants. They were given water and one sweetened drink with the meal and offered dessert at the end.

The fruits and vegetables were cut into bite-sized pieces which researchers believed were enticing for the children.

The families ate the meals twice, once at the regular family mealtime duration and the other that was defined as 50 per cent longer (about 10 minutes on average.)

What researchers discovered was children ate "significantly" more pieces of fruit during the longer mealtime and they ate slower.

Researchers also found the consumption of bread and cold cuts did not differentiate and children reported higher satiety after.

"The duration of the meal is one of the central components of a family meal which parents can vary to improve the diet of their children," Ralph Hertwig, Director at the Center for Adaptive Rationality of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development said in a press release.