Children hate bitter gourd and eggplant. Correct the critical period before the age of 4.

Does your child have a partial eclipse? According to the investigation of nutritionists in Tainan Municipal Hospital, one third of children have a partial eclipse problem, especially vegetables. The first three vegetables that children dislike least are bitter gourd, eggplant and yam. Nutritionists point out that partial eclipse will affect children's intellectual and physical muscle development, and even affect their academic performance. Parents are advised to improve their children's partial eclipse habits. 4 years old is a critical period. As long as parents pay more attention to diet, the sooner they can improve their children's partial eclipse.

Heather medical nutritionist teaches creative cooking to improve children's partial eclipse habits. (Photo courtesy of Tainan Municipal Hospital) Gong, a medical nutritionist, pointed out that according to a survey by the Child Welfare Alliance, about 50% of children in Taiwan do not eat fresh fruit every day, and 40% of children do not eat vegetables every day. They like sugary drinks, snacks and fried foods; Long-term unbalanced diet may lead to obesity, growth retardation, constipation, inattention and depression in children, and may also increase the risk of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes in the future.

To overcome children's partial eclipse, we must first understand the reasons for children's partial eclipse, that is, disgusting food is too hard, too strong, tastes bad, or the appearance of food is unacceptable; In view of children's disgust, it is necessary to change the cooking method of food and improve children's acceptance of food. For example, when children are not satisfied with the appearance of some fruits and vegetables, they can be arranged into cartoon patterns to arouse children's interest in eating.

If the food tastes too strong, such as onions and other ingredients, you can change the cooking methods, such as seasoning with curry, to reduce children's sense of rejection. Parents should adopt an encouraging way to avoid scolding and let their children know the benefits of food. For food they don't like, having a taste first and using some lovely tableware in time can also increase children's willingness to eat.

Gong stressed that the older a child is, the stronger his autonomy will be, and he will be more resistant to things he has never tried, while children around the age of 4 will be easier to communicate with, so parents should let their children try different tastes at this time and let them accept fruits and vegetables from an early age.

In addition, children prefer sweet and sour taste. Parents can use the colorful colors of fruits and vegetables to change cooking methods, such as cutting into pieces and making animal shapes to arouse children's interest. Adding vegetables and radish sauce to ground meat can also make children get used to the taste gradually, or let them do it themselves, so that children have a sense of participation and are more willing to accept vegetables and improve the bad habit of partial eclipse.