Researchers found eight out of ten mothers regularly wheel out old classics such as 'carrots will help you see in the dark' or 'crusts will make your hair curl'.
Other popular food fibs include 'eating vegetables will make you big and strong' and 'Spinach will give you muscles like Popeye'.
A cruel claim the ice-cream van only plays music when it has run out of lollies is also still commonly used.
What, what? You mean ice-cream vans playing music do still have ice-cream left? Suddenly my parents have some explaining to do.
The study of 3,000 mums also found the average parent tells the kids two white lies every day to encourage them to eat fruit and vegetables or put them off fizzy drinks.
Four out of ten admitted feeling a pang of guilt for lying to the children and six out of ten said they often reach a point where they simply don't know what else to do.
Top Ten Food Fibs
1. "Eating vegetables will make you big and strong"
2. "Eating carrots helps you see in the dark"
3. "Eating crusts will make your hair curl"
4. "Spinach will give you muscles like Popeye"
5. "Its not fruit, it's sports candy"
6. "If you eat apple pips, you'll grow an apple tree in your belly"
7. "Eating sweetcorn will help you grow like the Big Green Giant"
8. "The ice cream van only plays music when it has run out of ice cream"
9. "Okay don't eat it, I'll throw it in the bin" (reverse psychology)
10. "Fizzy drinks turn your teeth to jelly"
Deneice Harwin from Philips AVENT, which commissioned the study, said: "Encouraging toddlers to eat new foods can be a nightmare for parents and make meal times the most stressful part of the day.
"But it's important that they get the right nutrients and this means eating fruit and veg, which tend to be the worst foods in children's eyes.
"So it's no wonder parents are telling little fibs to their children in an attempt to get them to eat certain things."