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| Illustration (dok: Thinkstock) |
Apparently vegetables not
only contain vitamins and minerals that are essential for
health. The proof is a new study found
that vegetables can also increase a person's appetite.
According
to a team of researchers
from Cornell University, U.S., put the vegetables in
the main menu can also encourage one to believe
that his dinner was delicious.
Even
just by serving vegetables for dinner makes
one think that
the people who serve or host is
a more thoughtful and attentive.
Unfortunately, according to a
survey from the National Diet and Nutrition, only one
in 10 children in the UK who actually run the government
recommendations to eat five portions of fruit and
vegetables every day.
"In
America, only 23 percent of the people who
provide vegetables as the dinner menu. That
means we need to find some new
motivation to encourage parents
to serve vegetables as the main ingredients of
the diet at home," said lead researcher Brian Wansink,
who was a professor of marketing and consumer
behavior from Cornell University.
To
that end, the study published in the journal Public
Health Nutrition 500 respondents included mothers
who had at least two children younger than
18 years old and live at home.
The child was asked to
rate the taste of the four were partially supplemented diet of
vegetables and some will not. They were also asked
to describe the people who prepare
and serve food and to identify their favorite
vegetables and serving as what they like to the
vegetables.
As a
result, of the four food served, the addition
of vegetables was indeed able to increase the positive
response of the child so that the menu served to look
more 'complete', 'fun', 'tasty' and prepared with
full consideration.
Research questions about favorite
vegetables participants also revealed the diversity
of preferences of the child, indicating that nearly all
children have at least one type of vegetable they like
best.
"These
findings reinforce the concept that vegetables make
a menu of food served to be more attractive. Moreover, if
only to say that vegetables are good for health alone
may not be enough. Shows that vegetables are an
addition to the pleasure of eating dinner can also be
an effective strategy,"
explained Professor Wansink as reported by the
Daily Mail, Wednesday (11/21/2012).
Wansink also
recommended the addition of a variety of vegetables are
offered to children and change the menu according to
the age of the child.
"If parents knew that adding
the vegetables on the dinner menu can
create menus that look more tempting or attractive and
encourage their families to have a better
perception of what they consume then maybe they will be
more inspired to serve vegetables," he concluded.
