Veggies in your face

A person’s exposure to various foods from infancy on will have an influence on the choice and preference of foods. This exposure can vary from the foods provided by our parents to the snack at daycare, the pictures of foods we see on television and other media, the smell of the fry grease from fast food restaurants as we drive down the road and the offerings in the break room at the office.

Studies suggest that one’s desire to consume foods results from visual exposure to those foods. So for example, a person will consume more food and more calories at a buffet where all the foods are visible than from a restaurant with a menu. Another study shows that a person will eat a certain amount of candy when it is sitting in a jar on their desk, less of it if it is in their desk drawer, and even less if it is across the room in a drawer.

In the interest of consuming more raw vegetables, perhaps we need to increase our visual exposure to them. What is the first thing you see when you open the door of your refrigerator? Do you have fresh fruit sitting on your counter top or packaged processed food? Is the bag of chips or container of nuts in easy visual distance along your walkway through the kitchen? What would happen if fresh produce replaced these higher calorie (and often lower nutrient) foods? You would eat more of them!

Of course, some produce holds up better at room temperature than others. Fruit is better on the counter than vegetables. While consuming more fruit is a good thing, more servings of vegetables is an even better goal. Pictured is the door to my refrigerator. One of the first things you see is the cauliflower, sugar snap peas, red pepper, baby carrots, and celery on the door. These will need to be eaten in a few days. The fresher the better. But even older produce is better compared with the bag of chips or the box of cookies.

Tagged as: kids and vegetables, vegetables