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 Saying "Lentils will help you run faster," for instance, encourages
preschoolers to understand the benefits and pick the foods they
want, the study authors write in the Journal of Nutrition Education
and Behavior.
"Previous studies have shown that adults struggle with how to talk
to young children about food," said lead study author Jane Lanigan
of Washington State University in Vancouver.
Most children between 4 and 8 years old don't meet recommended
guidelines for vegetables, grains and fatty acids, and they tend to
eat too many empty calories.
"Conversations are sometimes inaccurate or not helpful or even
harmful in terms of helping a child learn to eat healthfully," she
told Reuters Health by email.
Lanigan and colleagues worked with 87 preschoolers from two early
childhood education centers, testing whether repeat exposure and the
correct phrasing would help preschoolers try four foods that are
generally less accepted by little kids: tomatoes, bell peppers,
lentils and quinoa.
The researchers also surveyed parents about their child's eating
history, the meal environment at home and nutrition knowledge, as
well as parental income and education.
In the exposure tests, the study team assessed whether the children
liked the foods, which were presented separately in small plastic
containers. The tomatoes and green peppers were raw and chopped into
bite-sized pieces. The quinoa and lentils were cooked with no added
spices. Kids who refused to sample a food were encouraged to smell,
touch or lick it, and told they could try it and spit it out if they
wanted too.
Then, for the next six weeks, researchers ran a tasting station in
the classroom two days a week and offered one food to taste. On the
second day, a researcher would include food-specific phrases in the
conversation two times during the tasting, such as "Lentils will
help you run fast and jump high" or "Fruits and vegetables keep you
from getting sick."
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Lanigan's team found that after the six-week experiment, children
were more willing to try foods, particularly the kids whose parents
had higher education levels. The children also rated the foods one
point higher on a five-point scale compared to their ratings at the
start of the study.
Importantly, at home one month after the experiment ended, parents
reported that children consumed twice as much of the foods
introduced in the experiment as they had before.
"Parents asked for our 'recipe' because they couldn't believe their
child would eat lentils or quinoa," Lanigan said. "The funny part is
we prepared the foods with no added spices or flavors to maintain
consistency. There are much more appealing recipes."
Repetition gave the children multiple experiences to become familiar
with the food and explore it without the stress or pressure of being
expected to eat the food, the study authors note in their report.
This may lead to an increased willingness to try, like and eat the
food. At home, meal-time conversations could be a way to encourage
food exploration and develop positive eating behaviors, they add.
"We all struggle to eat healthily given our current food
environment, and developing ways to get children to try healthy
foods that may not be as immediately appealing as a sugary treat is
important to encourage children to develop healthy eating habits
early," said Alison Miller of the University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor, who wasn't involved in the study.
"I think it's likely helpful for parents to talk about the benefits
of healthy food with their children in a child-friendly way, and
also to model it," she said in an email. "But also, all children
have a different 'temperament' when it comes to eating, so don't get
too worried about your child being a picky eater unless they're not
growing."
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2PVLetz Journal of Nutrition Education and
Behavior, online May 8, 2019.
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