I joke that, if I drew a food-pyramid to represent the foods my toddler eats (like mac and cheese), it would have a large, solid base made up of starches like macaroni and cheese and fruit, with a thick, fat middle section devoted to dairy products (but, let’s face it, mainly cheese). The pinnacle of the pyramid would be a triangle that is almost microscopic, representing two vegetables (cucumbers and carrots) he eats occasionally.
Although I’d like to think that my son is unique in many ways, his eating habits aren’t that different from those of other American children (culture plays a major role in our food choices). There’s no shortage in the literature about what to feed young children and toddlers whose eating habits are similar to my son’s. They eat a lot of fruit, yogurt with flavors, and macaroni and cheddar. (With a few exceptions such as flavored chicken nuggets or hot dogs).
I began to wonder why kids like the foods that they do. Did society force these food preferences onto our children, or did their bodies crave fluorescent orange cheddar and buttered noodles?
Answer: It’s a bit of both.
Babies have a preference for salty and sweet flavors
When you think of the foods that a toddler loves, they tend to be either sweet (fruits, juices, yogurts with flavors, and anything else sweetened) or salted (cheese nuggets, chicken, hotdogs). Their most disliked foods, like green vegetables, tend to be bitter. Scientists think this is due to evolution.
Research shows that babies are biologically predisposed to sweet tastes even before birth. There’s a reason for it. Sugar is a simple form of energy that young children require. Rachel Herz, PhD is a senses and emotions scientist and the author of Why You Eat What You Eat. She says that if you are developing, then you need energy.
According to Julie Mennella PhD, a researcher at Monell Chemical Senses Center, sweetness is a dominant taste signal in human milk. The infant’s desire for sweetness makes them more likely to enjoy breast milk. Children don’t grow out of this preference after they leave childhood. Children are drawn to sweetness throughout childhood. This could explain why toddlers prefer sweet foods like fruit, juice or flavored yogurt.
What about the other American favorites for kids that aren’t sugary, such as cheese, chicken nuggets or hot dogs? It could be that their flavor profile is salty. Children like a greater concentration of salt. It also serves a evolutionary purpose. Herz says that saltiness is a sign of protein. It’s also a vital mineral for our bodies.
The bitter taste of some vegetables can make children reluctant to eat them. In nature, bitter things are poisonous. It’s therefore better to avoid bitter foods. Herz explains that these predispositions help with survival.
Food preferences are influenced by texture and color.
Taste is not the only factor that affects a child’s eating habits. The texture and color of a food may also be important, though less studied. Naturally, children are neophobic. They’re afraid of new foods. Herz explains that this behavior is adaptive to a certain degree because it keeps them from eating foods they don’t know.
A child may be concerned if the texture is slimy, uneven, or crunchy (think of yogurt with chunks of fruit in it). Herz says that texture can indicate a food item is contaminated. If you ate something and found grains of sand or dirt, you would know not to eat it. If you see little pieces in something, you will be more cautious. It’s all connected to biology.” The unnaturally smooth texture in processed meats like hotdogs and chicken nuggets could be more appealing than the unpredictable consistency of real chicken breasts or pork.
The color of a product can also be an indicator. Color may also be a sign.
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How to broaden a picky toddler’s palate
Even though there is a biological basis to flavor preferences, these are not set in stone. Start them young if you want to raise a child who is adventurous. When introducing solids to a baby, expose them often to bitter foods, spicy foods, and fish — foods most toddlers will not eat,” advises Dr. Natalie Muth MD, RD, a California-based pediatrician and dietitian.
What about us, those who have outgrown the babyhood stage? Has all hope been lost?
Not quite. The food preferences of our children will change over time, regardless of the parenting style. Although our preference for sweet or salty food persists throughout childhood, this decreases as we age. Herz says that if a child between the ages of four and six is asked to sweeten their drink, they will add 12 sugar cubes. An adult, however, would only use seven.
Parents can help their picky eaters by a variety of means:
Prioritize exposure over clean plates. A parent who wants their child to try something new may find the sight of an almost-untouched plate stressful. Muth encourages parents to not worry.
She says, “Be as relaxed about it as you can be when offering them a food that they will probably reject.” Don’t get so attached to whether or not they eat. She says to focus more on exposure.
It may take between 15 and 20 exposures before a child is ready to accept a new food. It’s important that they try it. Muth says that they don’t need to chew or swallow the product, but it only needs to touch their tongue.
Make food more attractive. Muth says that rather than forcing toddlers, it is important to find ways to encourage them to try food on their own. You can get kids interested in trying new foods by involving them in meal preparation or letting the children choose foods at the grocery store. You can also gussy-up a food that isn’t liked by cutting it up into a fun form or placing it in a bag with stickers.
Try “bridging.” Strategically bridge the gap in your child’s tastes and dislikes. Introduce a food the child enjoys, then introduce another food with a similar taste but different texture.
Muth says that if your kid likes French fries, you can offer them sweet potato fries or zucchini fries as they both have the same texture. If your child enjoys sweet potato chips, try mashed sweet potatoes. They have the same flavor, but are a different texture.
Then, if it goes well, you can try a similar preparation but with less sweetness, like mashed carrots or squash.
Pair dislikes and likes. Serve bitter foods with sweet or salted flavors, depending on your child’s preference. To make broccoli more appealing, add cheese sauce. Muth suggests that once they are used to it, they can gradually remove more cheese until they have transitioned from eating the broccoli plain.
Enjoy eating by modeling it. Herz explains that the social context in which we eat may become more important as we age, and influence our flavor preferences. When a meal is associated with fun and being with loved ones, it becomes more than just meat and vegetables on a platter. This can be fostered by parents showing their children how much fun eating can be at family dinners.