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Want Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables? Try Giving Them a Catchy New Name

Anjali Prasertong
Anjali Prasertong
Anjali Prasertong is a writer and public health dietitian focused on food systems, racial equity, and nutrition. She led an innovative city-funded corner store program in New Orleans that increased fresh food access in low-income neighborhoods, and worked with food entrepreneurs in the city looking to operationalize racial equity in their businesses. She was previously a contributing editor for The Kitchn, and currently writes the reader-supported newsletter Antiracist Dietitian (anjaliruth.substack.com). She lives in Denver with her husband and two kids.
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published Jul 2, 2021
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(Image credit: Creativa/Shutterstock)

Having a hard time getting your kids to eat vegetables?

Hiding them

The first study compared the vegetable eating habits of elementary school students at five ethnically and economically diverse schools, where carrots were offered three ways: unnamed, named as a “Food of the Day” or named “X-Ray Vision Carrots.” When presented with a fun name, kids ate 66% of the carrots, compared to just 32-35% of the other carrots.

In another study, vegetable purchases increased by 99% when a school used names like “Silly Dilly Beans” and “Tiny Tasty Tree Tops.” The researchers point out that this is a low-cost or no-cost way that schools can increase students’ consumption of vegetables — and we think it might work at home, too.

(Image: Creativa/Shutterstock)

This article was first published on Kitchn. Read the original post here: Want Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables? Try Giving Them a Catchy New Name