The reason why children do not like to eat vegetables

Green vegetables are foods rich in vitamins, fiber and many other essential minerals and micronutrients for the body. Green vegetables can help control weight, avoid obesity in children, reduce the risk of some cancers, heart disease. Even knowing that, the current situation is that many children are very lazy to eat vegetables, considering eating vegetables as a "torture".
Ms. Dao Mai (Nam Tu Tich, Hanoi) has a 6-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy: “My two children from childhood to adulthood are very picky in eating. The children only like to eat rice mixed with meat or fish, do not like to eat vegetables. You will react by skipping meals if I force you to eat."
Ms. Vy Anh (Hanoi) is also confused and worried that her children are very lazy to eat vegetables and fruits. The 5-year-old boy only likes to eat seafood and meat, never refuses to eat vegetables. She always tries to feed the baby, but it's just called eating for good.
And Ms. Bich Thao (Long Bien, Hanoi) is actively supplementing with yogurt and probiotics, because now, her child is constipated. Because of refusing to eat vegetables, it takes 5-7 days to have a bowel movement.
The above is a problem shared by some mothers, and many other mothers are also in the same battle of "saying no to vegetables" for their children. And if this condition in children persists, children will face many worrying risks from this problem.

According to the Vietnam Institute of Nutrition: It is quite common for Vietnamese people to eat "a lot of meat, few vegetables and excess fat". Meanwhile, a diet high in meat cannot provide enough fiber and vitamins necessary for a healthy digestive system, not enough essential minerals for comprehensive development. Fiber is very important in digestion: Increases stimulation of intestinal peristalsis, increases beneficial bacteria, increases beneficial bacteria in the intestine, restricts leading to difficult urination, constipation. Vitamin deficiency in children often affects growth, retardation, immunosuppression, the risk of stunting and infections.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), statistics and conclusions: Vietnam is one of the countries with more than 20% of the population suffering from gastrointestinal diseases, the highest incidence rate in the world.
In addition to digestive problems, many studies have shown that eating less green vegetables has a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Children who are provided with adequate nutrients from vegetables, fruits, and vegetables have a lower risk of blood vessel blockage, heart attack or stroke later in life.
The lack of food sources from green vegetables, so vitamins and minerals are lacking. It is a cause of overweight and obesity in children, in both urban and rural areas. Because most vitamins cannot be synthesized by the body, they must be provided externally, especially through food such as vegetables, tubers and fruits. Some consequences of vitamin deficiency in young children include:
Effects on growth; Psychomotor retardation; Immunodeficiency ; Stunting; Have infectious diseases. Vitamin deficiency in young children is often a lack of vitamins A, vitamin D, and vitamin K, which are fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin E is an essential vitamin for the body found in green vegetables. It is an antioxidant that has been used in the treatment of Alzheimer's and memory loss. Having enough vitamin E will help you remember information longer and better.

A balanced and reasonable meal must be full of 4 groups of nutrients: Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Many mothers believe that as long as they feed their children a lot of protein, their children can develop normally. But that is completely wrong, in the diet of children can not lack fiber. Vegetables are a very good source of food for health, providing fiber, shaping stools, stimulating bowel movements to help children digest better, and preventing constipation in children.
Mothers should regularly include green vegetables in their children's meals because they will get many benefits from it. So how is it reasonable for children to eat vegetables? This is an issue that many mothers are very concerned about. Mothers should include vegetables in their children's diets right from the first weaning meals:
Children aged 7-12 months, children need 20g vegetables/meal, From 1-2 years old, children need 30g vegetables/meal, From 3 years old and up, children need 40-50g of vegetables/meal. In addition to leafy vegetables, vegetables such as kohlrabi, chayote, pumpkin, zucchini, gourd, and melon can be fed. Currently, the problem of food poisoning is very hot, so many people are afraid of not giving their children vegetables (due to chemical poisoning). Therefore, it is advisable to buy vegetables at a store of clear origin, when cooking, you need to wash them under the tap many times (at least 3 times).

Fiber is a very important substance, indispensable in your baby's diet. In addition to helping your baby digest food better, fight constipation, prevent some diseases such as heart disease, overweight, obesity...
Fiber has two types: Insoluble type (green vegetables) , fruit, ..) and water-soluble (potatoes, animal milk, ..).
According to the Institute of Nutrition recommended, Vietnamese adults need 18-20g of fiber/day, and to meet their needs, each person should eat about 300g of vegetables/day and eat fruits according to their own ability.
For children, fiber needs for the body can be calculated by the formula: “Age + 5”.
Example: 1 year old baby needs “1+5”= 6g fiber/day.
A 5-year-old baby needs: “5+5”=10g fiber/day
Some notes when adding fiber to your baby's diet include:
In the first 6 months of life, a mother can safely feed her baby completely. breast milk, because in 1 liter of breast milk contains about 8-13g of fiber. Breast milk provides enough nutrients and is also rich in fiber, helping your baby grow healthy without any other foods. There are about 1-3g of fiber per 100g of vegetables. Some vegetables rich in fiber such as: Mushrooms (3g/100g), Spinach, Spinach (2.5g/100g), Bean Sprouts (2g/100g), Kale (1.8g/100g), Jute vegetables, vegetables amaranth (1.5g/100g). When starting weaning, mothers should add vegetables to their baby's meals and feed them whole vegetables. Teach your baby to eat soft vegetables first to make it easier for him to adapt, and then eat harder vegetables. Fiber is also abundant in: Black beans, green beans (3-6g fiber/100g), Sweet potatoes, potatoes (0.5-1g fiber/100g),... There are about 0.5-6g fiber/100g fruit trees, some fruits rich in fiber such as: Guava (6g/100g), Mango (2.7g/100g), Grape (2.4g/100g), Sapodilla (2.5g/100g), Orange (1.4g/100g) , Grapefruit (0.7g/100g), Avocado (0.5g/100g). With many years of experience in examining and treating diseases in children, now the Pediatrics Department at Vinmec International General Hospital has become one of the major health care centers, capable of examining, screening and treatment of many specialized diseases in children. Therefore, if the child shows signs of poor absorption of nutrients, slow weight gain, growth retardation, etc., parents can take the child to Vinmec International General Hospital for examination and support. advice from qualified doctors.