All parents know it is difficult to get children to eat their vegetables. Some of them offer rewards or treats for children finishing their share. But researchers have discovered that youngsters who are not praised for trying vegetables are more likely to eat them eventually. (16) The study found that the best way to get children to eat food they do not like is simply to give them repeated exposure to it. Psychologists from Ghent University in Belgium studied 98 children. They gave them five kinds of vegetables to eat——mushrooms, peas, eggplants, carrots and cabbages.(17) The taste tests revealed that carrots were the least-liked vegetable among youngsters. The children were then given a bowl of boiled carrots and told to choose how much to eat. After 8 minutes, they were asked to rate the dish as "delicious," "just OK" or "disgusting." The trial went on twice a week for a month, with a follow-up taste test after 8 weeks. Children were split into three groups, with one group asked to try the bowl of carrots repeatedly with no further encouragement. The other two groups were given rewards of a toy or verbal praise. (18) After the trial, 81% of children who simply tried the carrots consistently liked them. This is in contrast to 68% for the group given a toy and 75% for the group given verbal praise.