Developing Food Preferences Early Is Important

Early childhood is a period of rapid growth and an important phase for developing eating habits because the dietary behaviors acquired during the early years of life can extend to adulthood [1–۳]. Children learn about their food likes and dislikes by direct contact with foods, such as through tasting, feeling, seeing, and smelling, and also by observing their food environment, for example, the eating behaviors of others [4–۶]. The significant rise in children with obesity by the time they start school is of public health concern [7]. In the UK, Health Survey for England (HSE) 2014, has reported that 17% of children aged 2–۱۵ years are currently with obesity and a further 14% with overweight [8]. Similar figures are also reported in the USA; the 2013–۲۰۱۴ National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicated 17% children and adolescents aged 2–۱۹ years with obesity, in addition to 16% with overweight [9]. Preventing excess adiposity includes increasing physical activity and matching dietary intake to energy requirements. Eating a well-balanced diet which is high in intake of fruits and vegetables (minimum 200 g/day for children and 400 g/ day for adults) is thought to reduce the risk of obesity but also prevent various non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases [10, 11]. Vegetables in particular are beneficial because they are low in naturally occurring sugars compared to fruits [12]. Studies with a largely middle-aged population indicated that eating vegetables confers a protective effect with each daily portion consumed reducing the probability of death by 16%, compared to 4% for fruits [13]. Most children in the USA and UK eat far below the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables [14, 15] and increasing intake of vegetables remains challenging due to their bitter taste, texture, and low energy density. Also, eating behavior traits such as food fussiness and food neophobia can affect intake. Despite the various contributing factors for children’s low consumption and dislike of many vegetables, the early years is a key period in development to encourage acceptance through appropriate behavioral techniques such as repeated taste exposure. The aim of the present review was to assess the relative importance of taste exposure, sensory learning, and nutrition education interventions to promote vegetable intake in preschool children; and to consider the ways in which vegetable intake and liking can be encouraged in fussy eaters.