development of taste and food preferences in children..pdf

Development of taste and food preferences in children. Dr Gillian Harris School of Psychology, University of Birmingham The Children’s Hospital, Birmingham Developmental agenda for feeding In utero Some weak preferences learned for strong flavours. Birth Innate preference for a sweet taste Preference for few tastes, learned from milk diet 4-6 months Window of acceptance for new tastes (solids) ready acceptance Preference a function of exposure Preference based on taste and smell 6-12 months Sensitive period for the introduction of solid textures. 1– 2 years Preference for food as a ‘gestalt’ onset of neophobia Food recognised by appearance. Beginning of rejection of new foods, and some previously accepted foods disgust and contamination fears start Taste programming in utero. Some flavours of food eaten by the mother are transmitted to amniotic fluid and swallowed by the foetus. Such flavours –such as garlic and aniseed – are recognised by the newborn infant. New born infants will turn towards the smell of aniseed if their mothers have eaten it during pregnancy. Menella et al (1995), Schaal et al (2000). Infants of mothers who drank carrot juice during pregnancy were less likely to make negative faces when fed carrot flavoured cereal – compared with infants whose mothers had just had water. However there was no difference in intake of the cereal between the two groups. Menella et al (2001) This effect is a very weak one. Tastes experienced in utero are not yet shown to be good predictors of food preference and intake in humans. However, one study in rats, seems to show that rat pups whose mothers were fed high fat, sugar and salt diets in pregnancy, showed preferences for these foods at weaning, and increased body weight. Bayol et al (2007)