It will come as no shock to most parents that a survey of under 16's shows that our kids are a nation of salad shunners and that greasy, stodgey meals top the list.
• Pizza tops the list of kids' favourite meals, salad comes last• 42% of parents struggle to get their children to eat vegetables• 1 in 5 of parents estimate their kids only eat one portion of veg a day
Salad is children's least favoured meal, according to parents, with 27 per cent of them saying that their kids refuse to eat it. If they do serve salad, 23 per cent of mums and dads say that it is left on the plate.
When asked to name their kids' favourite meal, a poll* of 2,000 parents from the British Leafy Salads Association revealed that pizza (39%) came top, followed by spaghetti bolognaise (28%), roast dinner (23%) and fish and chips (23%); yet salad was bottom in a list of 18 meals.
Nearly half of parents (42%) struggle to get their children to eat vegetables in general with many reporting their children are not getting their five-day. A frustrated 33 per cent of parents estimate that their children may only be getting two of their recommended five-a-day in vegetables and nearly one in five (18%) say that they only eat one vegetable each day. It appears that the daily recommendations are not being met with fruit either - 19 per cent estimate their kids eats one portion of fruit/day and 35 per cent of kids eat two portions/fruit.
Twenty-one percent of parents say that they find it difficult to get their children to eat or like food that is healthy and 13 per cent resort to cooking separate food for them. It's therefore not surprising that 19 per cent of mums and dads say that they find cooking for the family stressful.
Top reasons that kids give for refusing to eat vegetables are that they don't like the taste (64%), the texture (33%) and appearance (29%). Nineteen per cent of parents say that their children use such meal-time struggles as an opportunity to rebel.
Graham Clarkson, Chairman of the British Leafy Salads Association which conducted the research said
"It's a real shame that salad and other vegetables are being shunned by children, they are not only healthy but quick, easy and versatile. We've been tackling this with a Grow Your Own Salads educational initiative which in the last 12 months has seen 1,000 schools and around 30,000 children learning about salad and having a go at growing their own. The scheme has been a huge success and has really helped address some of the misconceptions children have about lettuce and salad leaves. Educating the children about vegetables and fruit such as this, and giving them first hand experience at growing their own, can help to create healthier eating habits later in life."
Dietitian Nichola Whitehead added:
"Getting your children to eat vegetables can be the bane of many parents' lives. Salads can actually be great for children as it is an easy way to create all kinds of colourful dishes, which can really appeal to kids. Children sometimes think of foods which are healthy as not being tasty, they build up a preconception before even trying something. I find from a young age it is best to introduce your child to lots of different vegetables and try not to make too much of a big deal about any particular foods. If you make a fuss about them eating their lettuce then kids will pick up on this and are more likely to rebel. It helps if you eat the same food as your children, if they think something is the norm then they are less likely to question it. Encourage your children to be hands on with foods like salad, get them involved in the preparation or ask them to arrange it into a picture on the plate. The more used to these foods the children are, the more likely they are to enjoy them."
Top 5 favourite kids' meals
1. Pizza (40%)
2. Spaghetti Bolognese (28%)
3. Roast dinner (23.10%)
4. Fish and chips (23.05%)
5. Sausage and Chips (22.75%)
Least favourite kids' meals
1.Salad (1.75%)
2. Stir Fry (2.45%)
3. Soup (3.7%)
4. Meat pie (4.3%)
5. Fish pie (4.7%)
For more information about leafy salads and for recipes and tips see www.makemoreofsalad.com or talk to us on Twitter @makemoreofsalad.