Are you having a difficult time getting yourself or your kids to eat their vegetables? The solution might just be a bit of creativity.
A new study has found the most effective way of getting people excited about vegetables is enticing names. The study, which experimented with names of vegetable dishes on college campuses, found that names that highlighted the exciting tasty potential of healthy dishes were more effective for encouraging nutritious food choices than titles which emphasized health benefits.
College students have some of the lowest rates of vegetable consumption, so campuses were a logical location for boosting healthy eating. “Taste-focused” names that included “garlic roasted,” “tavern-style,” or “sizzling” made students 29% more likely to put vegetables on their plates.
Senior author of the study Alia Crum, an assistant professor of psychology at Stanford University, says the approach is not a trick; it’s just about changing our perspective on what healthy foods look, taste, and sound like. Whether you’re preparing food for your kids, yourself, or even a restaurant, adding catchy adjectives that conjure up images of hearty, comforting, and nutritious food can help motivate everyone’s enthusiasm about munching on greens.
