50 Percent of Children Who Learn to Cook Early Follow Healthy Lifestyle:Study

British children learn to cook much later in life compared to the rest of Europe, a study revealed.

French and German children learn to experiment with cooking and develop culinary skills at the age of seven, according to the study. British children learn to cook at the age of nine.

Children, who learn to cook early can also prepare as many as five meals from scratch every week later on in life , the study found.

The UK's Children's Food Trust (CFT) and PizzaExpress conducted the research. They surveyed children aged up to 16 and examined the long-term effects of learning to cook from childhood.

Fifty percent of the children who learn to cook before the age of eight are more likely to follow healthy lifestyles, the study found.

"There has never been a more critical time to focus on getting kids cooking. It's vital we equip future generations with the skills and knowledge to make good nutritional choices and this begins with getting them cooking," The Telegraph quoted CFT's Rob Rees as saying.

According to the study, as much as 50 percent of British children cannot differentiate between a cucumber and a courgette (zucchini). It also found that 24 percent were unable to name aubergine (eggplant) and seven percent of the British kids thought spinach to be lettuce, The Telegraph reported.

The study also revealed that one in 10 children could identify a leek and one in five children knew what an avocado looks like.