Vegetables should be the first food you introduce your child to, says Jamie Oliver

Getting veggies into you kids can be a struggle - which is why Jamie Oliver reckons we should start as young as possible.

The chef said that parents should be introducing their little ones to vegetables when they first wean them on to solids. Starting them with things like broccoli in the beginning allows them to develop a taste for veg. "Some of it is about opportunity and timing and certainly from the work we do with scientists we know there are windows of opportunity with children, cognitively, when weaning, with texture and bitterness," the father-of-five told Kidspot. “When I say bitterness, I’m talking about brassicas like broccoli and cabbages. "A lot of baby food is driven by apple and pear puree, but actually, you have a window of opportunity to program the brain to be accepting of bitter elements.”   Jamie, whose kids range in age from almost 17 to two, has previously said that when it comes to fussy eaters, the best approach is persistence. "Keep at it," he wrote on his blog. "Make sure your cooking has plenty of variety, and experiment outside your comfort zone. "Try thinking of fruit and veg in terms of colours of the rainbow, and give your kids a differently coloured fruit and veg for every meal."