There are few battles as epic as the daily one you have with your children to get them to eat healthier foods like fruit. And it's not just you -- parents around the world have the same problem. Luckily, recent research has shed some light on just what might get children to happily gobble up the produce on their plate.

Researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands recently studied close to 100 kids between the ages of four and seven to figure out what influences their fruit-eating habits. Children were divided into three groups and all were exposed to both "visually appealing" fruit that was skewered and adorned with cocktail umbrellas, as well as regular-looking fruit. Depending on which group they were in, some kids were restricted from eating either the regular or fun-looking fruit initially to see if holding something back from them would affect their appetite for it.

Their conclusion? Presentation really does matter, especially when it comes to young appetites. The results showed that the kids ate an average of 2.2 ounces or 62 grams of the fruit that was made to look good than they did the regular fruit. However, initial restrictions played little or no role in how much fruit the kids ate.

This could be great news for parents, who now have an insight into how their child's eating habits work. "Perhaps, it was not about taste, but about fun," said the researchers. "Parents, schools, supermarkets and food producers should take advantage of these results and offer children fruit and vegetables that are presented in a visually appealing manner."

The downside? That also means more work for busy moms and dads -- making fruit look fun several times a day can be pretty time-consuming. "In the long term, it is probably necessary for parents and food producers to remain innovative," the study urges, but they don't offer any suggestions for creatively arranging your apples.

Still, it might be a good idea to stock up on some cocktail umbrellas and novelty food decorations.