Parents use lies, bribes to sell veggies

CARDIFF, Wales, May 11 (UPI) -- A poll of Welsh parents has found that many resort to lies and bribery to get their kids to eat vegetables.

More than 60 percent of parents polled by the My Little Soup Co. said they have lied to their children to get them to eat vegetables, the Western Mail reported.

Twenty percent of parents said they bribe their children with rewards, even cash, to eat healthy food, the poll said.

Jacqui Lowdon, a pediatric dietitian at Cardiff's Children's Hospital for Wales, told the Cardiff newspaper there's nothing wrong with a lie that is based in fact -- such as telling a child that eating carrots will help you see better.

"Carrots contain carotene, which does help your eyesight," she said. "When I was young we would be told that spinach will make you fit and strong, like Popeye the sailor, and I don't mind that kind of thing because spinach is good for you."

Some lies parents admitted to, however, such as that some vegetables contain chocolate, aren't helpful, Lowdon said.

"Such lies will not help them to understand the food they eat," she said.