Roughly nine in ten U.S. children fall short of vegetable intake recommendations.
Roughly nine in ten U.S. children fall short of vegetable intake recommendations. The school year widens that gap. Five documented shifts, and what the feeding literature says about each: 1. Breakfast compresses. Skipping rises steadily with age as school-year mornings shorten. Preparing the night before removes the decision entirely. 2. The lunchbox narrows. Children may require 8 to 15 exposures before accepting a new food. Keep the favorites, rotate one slot weekly, count exposures rather than acceptances. 3. Snacks go packaged. Availability shapes produce intake more reliably than preference does. Washed and cut, at eye level, changes the default. 4. Hydration falls through the schedule. Thirst is an unreliable signal in a busy child. Fixed transitions outperform reminders. 5. Intake dips as exposure peaks. More meals away from home, fewer vegetables in them. The through-line across all five i...