Few housewives considered any vegetable indigestible. We wished to see whether they took the same view with respect to their young children. Therefore mothers of children under 5 were asked a special question: “Are there any vegetables you give or don’t give to your children because they are particularly suitable or unsuitable”.
Table 8 shows that more than half of the mothers were indifferent to the merits or demerits of vegetables for their young children, and that only a few considered a particular vegetable as unsuitable.
Cooked carrots and cabbage were mentioned by the greatest number of mother as suitable. 5% - 7% of the mothers considered celery, onions, parsnips and turnips as unsuitable,
Reasons for the suitability given were: good for blood and skin, good vitamins, good generally, mineral value, high protein value, good laxative, easily digested, and the most frequent reason, “likes them”.
Reasons for considering vegetables unsuitable were “does not like it”, indigestible, upsets, causes wind, diarrhoea.
Table 8
PROPORTION OF MOTHERS WHO CONSIDER CERTAIN VEGETABLES AS PARTICULARLY SUITABLE OR UNSUITABLE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
*
% considering as particularly suitable
% considering as particularly unsuitable
%
%
Carrots, cooked
21
1
Carrots, raw
4
-
Cabbage
12
4
All green vegetables
7
-
Peas
5
3
Sprouts
5
2
Cauliflower
4
1
Swedes
2
2
Tomatoes
2
2
Spinach
2
-
Celery )
5
Onions )
5
Parsnips)
7
Turnips )
5
5
Swedes )
2
Beetroot)
3
Marrow )
2
Does not consider any vegetable as particularly suitable or unsuitable
