One third of parents worry more about their children's diet than before the pandemic

What's the one vegetable you really wouldn't touch as a child? For me it was cabbage. Always boiled till it was mushy.

I like to think I wasn't too fussy when it comes to food, but chatting to my mum it's become apparent that wasn't really the case. There were many times when it was a real challenge to get me to eat my greens. Now I have real empathy with parents who struggle with children who won't finish their vegetables.

It is a struggle which new research by YouGov shows is a real problem for many families with children aged 16 and under in the household:

The timing of this research is also significant, following the recent publication of data by the NHS which shows that across England the child obesity has increased during the pandemic. Figures show that obesity in reception age students increased from 9.9% in 2019/20 to 14.4% in 2020/21 with the highest rates in the West Midlands:

Figures also show that obesity in Year 6 students increased from 21% in 2019/20 to 25.5% in 2020/21 with London having the highest rates:

That is why ITV is again supporting Veg Power's Eat Them To Defeat Them campaign, alongside eight major retailers. It is the fourth year that advertisements will be shown on TV trying to persuade children to eat more vegetables. They takes the unique and unusual approach of agreeing with children that vegetables are evil. Not just evil, but taking over the world and the only way to beat them is to eat them.

The campaign is already estimated to have led to sales of almost one billion extra portions of vegetables worth just under £92 million and is being welcomed by nutritionists such as Haleh Moravej from Manchester Metropolitan University who said "Vegetables provide a wide variety of benefits, the antioxidants, the minerals, the vitamins, the crunch, the colour. When you enjoy them and when you've grown up with them from a young age, they provide us with that excitement as well when it comes to our diets."

"Life would be really boring if it was all beige. Don't boil your vegetables to death." Watch more tips from Haleh Moravej on how to get your children to eat more vegetables:

As part of the campaign sessions will be organised in schools giving children the opportunity to try more vegetables. This year it is hoped to provide one million activity packs for children.

Susie Braun, Director of Social Purpose at ITV, said: "It’s never been more important to make sure our kids eat well, and the best way of doing that is to make it fun. Eat Them to Defeat Them has proven to be an incredibly effective way of changing children’s eating choices, and ITV is proud to once again be behind it."

Watch James Webster visit one school which encouraged children to try a variety of different tomatoes:

Not all children will like all the vegetables they try but the aim of the campaign is make sure more have at least tried them.

Baroness Rosie Boycott, Chair of the Veg Power board said: "Our latest evaluation shows the Eat Them To Defeat Them campaign is having a much needed, positive impact on children's veg consumption. Now in its fourth year, we hope the campaign will encourage children to adopt life-long healthy eating habits which will in turn improve our nation's health."