Giiant building blocks, made entirely of vegetables, have been hand-delivered to the Department of Health today by a group of little ones to raise awareness of the importance of eating vegetables during weaning and the long-term impact it can have on little ones' health.
Parenting on Female First
With official statistics showing 1 in 5 British school kids classified as being overweight by the time they reach primary school, Ella's Kitchen, is urging the Government to place a greater focus on early years nutrition.
Five reasons why it's important for little ones to eat their veggies
1. Plant a love for veg - introducing veg first, frequently and in variety at the start of weaning can help babies quickly learn to accept them and research shows they go on to eat more veg even when they're a year old. Other studies show that little ones that regularly eat veg during weaning eat more veggies and fruits when they're 7 years old!
3. New day, new veg - the more variety little ones eat, the more likely they are to accept new tastes. Babies who were given a variety of vegetables, with a different veg each day, were more likely to accept new tastes even from other food groups. So eating a range of veg can actually help babies learn to like a wider variety of foods overall!
4. Tiny taste buds - little ones are born with a naturally sweet tooth but during weaning, they are really receptive to new tastes. Introducing savoury veg like broccoli, cabbage or green beans early in the weaning process can help little ones to learn about the world of tastes and get used to flavours that are not as sweet. Don't give up if little ones pull a face the first time they try a new taste - it can take up to 10 tries before they accept a new food.
5. More veg, less junk - eating plenty of veg and fruit is linked to lower risk of obesity as well as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and some cancers, so it's very important to plant a love for veg as early as possible during weaning.
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