Children who are allowed free access to Easter treats won’t eat as many eggs as those who are restricted, says report
Children eat fewer Easter eggs if parents allow them to decide how many they can have, says a report from the University of Surrey. The findings come after examining parental control on the chocolate treats of children aged 4-11 years old.
Parents and their children were split into two groups for the study.
One group saw the parents instructed on how many eggs their child could eat, to keep the chocolate out of reach and to only allow it after meals and in small amounts.
The second group was told to allow their child to eat as much as they would like each time, keeping the eggs within reach.
The results showed that the children from the non-restricted group ate more eggs to begin with, but by the end of the test had eaten less overall than the restricted group.
“These results suggest that parents restricting a particular food results in it becoming more attractive and increasing the overall intake. This could mean that allowing children more control over their eating habits is more effective at developing long term healthier eating patterns,” said Saima Ehsan, who helped with the test.
Will your child have unrestricted access to their Easter treats?
