Superheroes tempt children to eat fruit and vegetables

[Guest guest]

Superheroes tempt children to eat fruit and vegetables

A modern version of Popeye featuring 'food dude' superheroes and a villain

called 'General Junk' can dramatically increase children's consumption of fruit

and vegetables.

 

An experimental programme has proved so successful that it is being piloted by

the Department of Health in about 20 schools.

 

Popeye, the sailor who acquires super strength by eating spinach, had a huge

impact on children's eating habits after first appearing in an American cartoon

strip in 1929.

 

Spinach sales shot up by 33% and the vegetable became the most popular food

among American youngsters after turkey and ice cream.

 

The new characters devised by psychologists at the University of Wales at Bangor

possess a similar power to get children to eat their greens.

 

Four " food dudes " appear in a video featuring real actors and animation. Each

has a favourite vegetable - Charlie eats carrots, Tom tomatoes, Raz raspberries

and Rocco broccoli.

 

Just as spinach invigorates Popeye, fruit and vegetables give the four heroes

the 'life force' they need to save the world from General Junk and his army of

vegetable-hating junk punks.

 

The aim is to change the culture in schools so that healthy food is seen as

" cool " and to help youngsters learn to like it.

 

In the latest study at a primary school in Brixton, south London, the amount of

offered fruit children ate went up from 36% to 79% during the course of the

programme. Vegetable consumption went up from 44% to 66%.

 

Four months after the end of the study consumption had fallen only a little to

61% for fruit and 59% for vegetables.

 

Story filed: 14:00 Thursday 14th March 2002

 

http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_544357.html

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Is it possible to get a videotape of this story?

 

 

 

 

Sports - live college hoops coverage

http://sports./

[Guest guest]

Was there ever a response to this? I'd like to see the videotape too.

 

Karen Butler wrote:

>

> Is it possible to get a videotape of this story?

>

>

>

> Sports - live college hoops coverage

> http://sports./

>

>

> For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at

http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to

http://www.vrg.org/family.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I haven't seen a response. I will try and find out if

there is a direct link for the video. I will let you

know what I find out.

 

--- Jackie Harris <ajharris wrote:

> Was there ever a response to this? I'd like to see

> the videotape too.

>

> Karen Butler wrote:

> >

> > Is it possible to get a videotape of this story?

> >

> >

> >

> > Sports - live college hoops coverage

> > http://sports./

> >

> >

> > For more information about vegetarianism, please

> visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for

> materials especially useful for families go to

> http://www.vrg.org/family.

> >

> >