The Secret Superpower That May Help Kids Choose More Veggies? Fairy Tales.

Read to the end for a super-fun contest you won’t want to miss!

Nutrition can feel hard to navigate. But here’s one thing we know: 90% of young children are not eating enough fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, about two-thirds of the calories consumed by U.S. children come from ultra-processed foods.

But we don’t need more research telling us kids need to eat healthier.  We need more resources and support to help kids actually eat those fruits and veggies. And guess what? We just found one of the most magical tricks yet…

✨ Super-Powered Veggie Fairy Tales! ✨

In a recent study of preschoolers ages 4–6, researchers found that when children heard an interactive, fairytale-like story about magical fruits and vegetables, they were more likely to choose healthy options over treats like cookies or cake.

And get this, the effects of hearing just one veggie-tale lasted for up to TWO weeks! 

But wait, it gets even better!

When these magical fruit and veggie tales were combined with hands-on experiences (like tasting or playing), kids learned new vocabulary and boosted their language skills! 

So, what does all this mean? It confirms what we’ve known all along: the best way to get kids to discover, eat, and love new fruits and veggies is through fun, low-pressure, hands-on experiences.

Now it’s your turn to join the Veggie Magic! 

Classroom Contest: Create Your Own Super-Powered Veggie Fairy Tale

As a class, create a short (2-5 pages) fairy tale featuring a fruit or vegetable hero of your choosing, like Super Spinach or The Amazing Apple.

Be sure to include:

• a title page

• your fruit or vegetable character

• their special superpower (how do they use it? what makes them a hero?)

• a colorful drawing to bring your hero and story to life

Submit your class story to hello @ smallbites.club by May 6.

The winning class will receive:

• a FREE Vitamix blender

• a feature in the Veggie Ready program

• a spotlight on our website

Happy tasting and storytelling!

The Small Bites Team