Eating vegetables first: the use of portion size to increase vegetable intake in preschool children.
BACKGROUND
Serving larger portions of low-energy-dense vegetables at a meal could have beneficial effects on children's food and energy intakes.


OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether increasing the portion size of vegetables served at the start of a meal leads to increased vegetable consumption and decreased meal energy intake in children.


METHODS
In a crossover design, 3- to 5-y-old children in a daycare center were served a test lunch once a week for 4 wk (n = 51). In 3 of the meals, a first course of raw carrots varied in portion size (30, 60, or 90 g), and no first course was served in the control meal. Children consumed the first course ad libitum over 10 min and then were served a main course of pasta, broccoli, applesauce, and milk, which was also consumed ad libitum.


RESULTS
Total vegetable consumption at the meal increased as the portion size of carrots increased (P < 0.0001). Doubling the portion size of the first course increased carrot consumption by 47%, or 12 +/- 2 g (P < 0.0001). Tripling the portion size of carrots, however, did not lead to a further increase in intake (P = 0.61). Meal energy intake was not significantly affected by the amount of carrots served in the first course. The effect of portion size on intake was not significantly influenced by the children's age or body weight status.


CONCLUSIONS
Increasing the portion size of a vegetable served as a first course can be an effective strategy for increasing vegetable consumption in preschool children.
Spill
Maureen K
MK
Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Birch
Leann L
LL
Roe
Liane S
LS
Rolls
Barbara J
BJ
D001066:Appetite; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D018552:Daucus carota; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013649:Taste; D014675:Vegetables