Broccoli Is Actually Most Kids' Favorite Vegetable
News flash: Some kids actually like vegetables. Truth.
A survey of 500 mothers with two kids found that 83 percent of the kids had a favorite vegetable, that their mother knew of. Even more surprising? Broccoli and corn topped the charts.
Two surveys were presented today at the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior's annual meeting, where researchers from Cornell University found six specific vegetables that were the most popular among kids: corn, broccoli, carrots, green beans, potatoes, and tomatoes.
The researchers also led a separate study, having subjects rate meals and entrées with or without vegetables on the plate. Turns out, having vegetables on the plate made the meal look tastier, as well as more "complete and loving."
So what sort of vegetables will actually be eaten? Corn was the most popular with boys; broccoli was the most popular among girls.
Researchers also found that of the older kids, 53 percent of the children had the same favorite vegetable as their mom, meaning parental eating habits might be passed down to kids. So if you're serving broccoli at your next meal, you can always convince your picky eater that all the cool kids are eating it, too.