Vegetables in early life may promote good eating habits later on

2014-07-02 15:01:35

Children have a lower tendency to eat vegetables, especially if they are fussy eaters or in their pre-school years. Repeated exposure to vegetables improves children’s intake of new vegetables, but there are many individualized differences. A recent study examined the factors that might have an impact on the quantity of vegetables consumed by children.⁽¹⁾ Different factors may predict different response rates to repeated exposure. The researchers included children from three countries aged 4 to 38 months. Three groups were used in each experiment: each child was given between 5 to 10 exposures of a new vegetable (artichoke puree) in one of three versions (basic, sweet, or added energy). The intake was measured before and after the exposure period. Overall, younger children ate more than older children. There were 4 patterns of behaviour in the study. 40% of children were “learners”, meaning they increased their intake over time. 21% ate more than 75% of what was offered each time and were labelled “plate-clearers”. 16% were “non-eaters” eating less than 10g by the 5th exposure. The remaining children were categorized as “other” because of variability. Age was a predictor of eating pattern, with older children more likely to be “non-eaters”. Overall, repeated exposure familiarizes kids with new foods, but also the earlier this happens in life the more it might increase future intake and healthy eating habits. Fussier and older children may require different strategies to increase their vegetable intake.