Don’t tell kids why veggies are good for them, study says

A recent study led by Dr. Ayelet Fishbach of the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business indicates that children who are told certain foods will make them stronger, smarter or taller are less likely to want to eat them.

“We propose that young children infer from messages on food instrumentality that if a certain food is good for one goal, it cannot be a good means to achieve another goal,” Dr. Ayelet Fishbach writes in theJournal of Consumer Research. “As such, if food is presented as making them strong (then) these children will conclude the food is not as tasty, and will therefore consume less of it.”

The researchers used 270 kids, aged 3-5, to reach their conclusions, using 5 experiments to gather their data. Children ate more of a food item, researchers found, when it was presented without any comments whatever or when presented simply as “tasty.” When told the same food item would make them strong or healthy, they ate less of it.

Agencies/Canadajournal

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