HOUSTON — For parents of picky eaters, the dinner table can be a battlefield. But a new study shows adding an extra 10 minutes to meal time significantly increased the fruits and vegetables kids actually ate.
Researchers also found that cutting the fruits and vegetables into bite-size pieces also helped children increase their healthy food intake during that extra time.
The study in JAMA Network found that the average dinner time is 20 minutes, so they extended it to 30. That meant kids ate an extra portion of fruits and vegetables, or two-thirds of a cup, which is equivalent to a medium size apple.
Researchers believe that the increase could have a significant impact on public health since low fruit and vegetable consumption can lead to serious health issues.
One nutritionist also told the Washington Post the results counter the myth that kids don’t like healthy food.
This study builds on other research that found a lot of factors go into ending the dinner dilemma for parents.
Those include turning off the TV, parents eating healthy food themselves to model good behavior, and including kids in the food preparation.
According to the Washington Post… while all those approaches increase healthy eating… extending the time for dinner actually had the biggest effect.