But a new study has revealed that constantly pressurising defiant youngsters to finish foods they do not like can actually lower their intake of healthy foods, the Daily Mail reported.

American psychologists from Pennsylvania State University and the Appalachian State University found that toddlers are more likely to eat nutritious but unappealing foods if they are not repeatedly told to eat them up.

In tests, four-year-olds who were nagged to finish their food consumed less than those who were left to get on with it.

`The use of pressure contributes to lower intake and can foster negative responses to food,` the researchers told the journal Appetite.

`In fact, children were more likely to increase their intake of an initial unfamiliar food if they were not pressured to eat it,` they said.

Source: ANI
Image: Flickr/creativecommons rwkvisual