A study has shown that children will not be encouraged to eat their greens simply because they are good for them.

An experiment on primary school children shows those as young as five associate 'healthy' foods as being less tasty, even without taking a bite.

Bribing children to eat healthily with promises of chocolate puddings and sweets is also ineffective, as it simply highlighs that some foods are more desirable than others.

Professor Jane Wardle, clinical psychologist at University College London, said: 'Children know the drill – the foods they love are the ones which they are told are bad for them, and boring foods are pushed as good for them.'