Having trouble getting a child to eat his vegetables? Try giving it a funny nickname‹preschoolers prefer foods with names like “X-Ray Vision Carrots,” “Tomato Bursts” and “Power Peas,” new research shows. According to a study from Cornell University, 186 four-year-olds ate nearly twice as many carrots when they were given the catchy nickname. Even on days the carrots were no longer labelled “X-Ray Vision Carrots,” kids still ate about 50 per cent more as a result of the funny nickname, researchers say. The same is true of adults, it seems: in one restaurant study, renaming a Seafood Filet the “Succulent Italian Seafood Filet” increased sales by 28 per cent, and taste rating by 12 per cent.