Children pick pasta and curry over chicken nuggets
Katy Morton
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Children are showing a preference for international cuisine such as Italian and Indian, according to a new survey by children's cookery expert Annabel Karmel.
According to the findings, over half of parents surveyed said their children enjoy international cuisine the most. Italian dishes came out on top, with 43 per cent of parents naming spaghetti bolognese as their child’s favourite dish, and 39 per cent pasta.
Annabel Karmel said, ‘It’s interesting that children’s tastes are more sophisticated than many parents would imagine, with over half the parents saying that their children would prefer international cuisine such as Italian and Indian to burgers or chicken nuggets; with curry also becoming a more popular dish with little ones.’
However, the survey of more than 1,000 UK parents on children’s eating and parents' feeding habits also found that eight out of ten parents include unhealthy snacks such as crisps and chocolate in their child's lunchbox.
Despite this, seven out of ten parents said their children preferred having fruit in their lunchboxes as opposed to sweets, fizzy drinks and biscuits.
The survey also revealed that one in five parents are more likely to feed their children cereals that have a high sugar content for breakfast to keep them happy, than give them healthier wholegrain cereals or porridge.
When it came to vegetables, one in three parents said their child’s least favourite vegetable was mushrooms, followed by spinach (18 per cent) and broccoli (17 per cent).
To encourage children to eat vegetables, nearly half of parents said they tried to hide them in pasta, 29 per cent offered finger sized portions and 14 per cent said they made a purée.
