Bribing kids to eat vegetables might backfire. Here’s what to do instead

Sydney, Oct 20 (The Conversation) It’s a tactic many parents know well: “eat two bites of broccoli, and then you can have dessert”.

It seems like a practical solution for encouraging kids – especially picky eaters – to eat healthy foods. And in the short term, it often works.

But using food as a bargaining chip can do more harm than good.

Why food bribes backfire ------------------------------ Although well-intentioned, bribing children with treats to eat healthy foods can: Create unhealthy associations: Studies show that using discretionary foods such as sweets as rewards increases children’s preference for those foods.

Over time, children start to see dessert as the “prize” and vegetables as the “chore”. This skews their perception of food value and can lead to an unhealthy relations