New research reveals two-thirds of Australian parents find it too time consuming and difficult to involve their children in cooking, and may be doing more harm than good keeping their kids out of the kitchen, according to experts in child nutrition.

The research, conducted by Newspoll on behalf of Flora, found 44 per cent of Australian parents say their children have no interest in food preparation, and a further one in three parents are not personally interested in cooking.

Leading Dietitian Geraldine Georgeou with experience in paediatric nutrition and dietetics, says getting children to make the right healthy eating choices starts in the kitchen at a young age.

"In my clinical experience I have seen enormous benefits from involving kids in the sourcing and preparation of food who then go on to make healthier choices," said Georgeou.

The research revealed some startling statistics:

• One in 4 parents rarely or never involve their children in the grocery shopping
• One in 5 parents say their children are rarely or never involved in the selection of products at the supermarket
• Three in 10 parents say their children are not involved in the preparation of home cooked meals
• Around seven in 10 parents indicated that they would like to
  - spend more time talking to their children about healthy eating and healthy cooking;
  - know more about the sorts of things they should be explaining to their children in relation to nutrition and healthy food preparation;
  - (with nearly one in 5 strongly agreeing with each of these).
  

Geraldine's top five tips to get children involved in the kitchen:

YOUR SAY: How do you get your kids involved in the cooking? And what benefits do you see? Tell us below!

Source: Hill & Knowlton