The latest scientific discovery to come out of the lab? The fact that giving kids a tad bit more time to eat their fruits and veggies may actually result in them eating healthier. In a shocking turn of events, scientists found that extending mealtime by just 10 minutes led children to eat an additional 2/3 cup of fruit and vegetables, or approximately one medium-sized apple. The study, which was conducted by the University of Mannheim and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, discovered that bite-sized pieces may have encouraged kids to consume more during the extra time, but the key factor in eating more was simply having the extra time. What a revelation!

What’s even better? Eating a few more fruits and veggies could have “a substantial public health impact,” according to Jutta Mata, a professor of health psychology at the University of Mannheim and an associate research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin. Apparently, low fruit and vegetable consumption raises the risk for diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Who knew?!

Now, some of you may be thinking, “But wait, don’t kids dislike anything healthy? They won’t touch a piece of broccoli with a ten-foot pole!” But it turns out that’s not actually the case, according to Bonnie Liebman, the director of nutrition at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (who knew that center even existed?). She claims that “kids are perfectly happy to eat fruits and vegetables.” Wow, who knew children weren’t actually tiny garbage disposals?

But wait, there’s more! By turning off the TV, modeling healthy eating, offering high-quality food, including children in cooking and serving, and adding time to the meal, all these factors steered children towards healthier foods during family dinners, according to previous research by the same authors. It turns out that mealtime duration had the strongest effect. However, the current study conducted by the authors only focused on the impact of additional time.

So how much more time do we need? The study surveyed fifty parent-child “dyads” between November 2016 and May 2017, and found that extending mealtime by ten minutes is optimal for kids to eat more fruit and vegetables. Unfortunately, we can’t simply put our kids alone at a table for an extra ten minutes; the meal must be extended in the context of family time. The research shows that “bite-sized fruits and vegetables in the context of longer family meals increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables,” and eating together for longer is key.

But what happens when kids are outside the lab? We don’t know how long the effect might last because the study only observed a specific time frame. Additionally, the mealtime atmosphere in the lab was quite positive, which may not be the case outside the laboratory. So what should we do to enliven mealtimes? Parents can play games with their children and let antsy ones have “fidget” toys at the table. Children can help with cooking, serving, and clean up. We can also prepare vegetables in ways that children like, such as roasting them so they aren’t slimy, or dicing or shredding them. But most importantly, don’t withhold dessert if they resist the healthful stuff. That only makes vegetables less desirable and dessert more so, according to Anne Fishel, the founder and executive director of the Family Dinner Project (a Harvard-based group that aims to promote the health and social benefits of family dinner time).

Overall, the study points to a very usable and actionable way for parents to encourage healthy eating with their kids. So if you’re planning on extending your mealtime by 10 minutes, just remember to keep your kids entertained, cook those veggies in a way they’ll like and most importantly, don’t forget about dessert!

Serious News: washingtonpost