Popeye gets kids eating more veggies: study

Science has finally recognised what mums have known all along: show you children some Popeye cartoons and they’ll tuck into iron-rich spinach.

The cartoon sailor man’s impact on children’s eating habits has been recognised by scientific research, the Daily Telegraph reported, quoting a Thai study.

Experts found that children who regularly watched Popeye scoffing spinach before his animated bouts with his arch-rival Bluto, doubled their vegetable intake.

The youngsters, aged four and five, ate four portions of vegetables a day after watching the cartoon hero compared to two before the study.

Professor Chutima Sirikulchayanonta, who led the research at Mahidol University in Bangkok, told the publication: "We got the children planting vegetable seeds, taking part in fruit and vegetable tasting parties, cooking vegetable soup, and watching Popeye cartoons.”

Researchers said that the experiment, which also encouraged children to plant their own vegetables, led to the 26 volunteers taking more interest in eating healthily.

Prof Sirikulchayanonta added that Popeye did not influence an increase in the children’s fruit consumption, but that this was possibly because they already enjoyed plenty of fruit in their diet.

The findings of the study are published in journal Nutrition & Dietetics.
 

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