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Children's hard-wired aversion to pure vegetable tastes. A 'failed' flavour-nutrient learning study.
Gertrude G Zeinstra1, M A Koelen, F J Kok
1Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands. Gertrude.zeinstra@wur.nl
Appetite
|December 17, 2008
Summary
Flavour-nutrient learning did not increase children's vegetable preference due to low consumption. Intense vegetable flavors may hinder acceptance, suggesting milder flavors or mixing vegetables with other foods for future studies.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Developmental Psychology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Food preferences are established through conditioning.
- Understanding the conditions for flavour-nutrient learning is crucial for dietary interventions.
- Limited research exists on flavour-nutrient learning specifically with vegetable flavors in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effectiveness of flavour-nutrient learning in enhancing vegetable preference in 7-8-year-old children.
- To assess the impact of a 14-day conditioning period on children's preference and consumption of vegetable drinks.
Main Methods:
- A within-subject design was employed to measure preference and consumption.
- Children consumed two types of vegetable drinks (high energy and low energy) over 14 days.
- Preference and consumption were assessed before and after the conditioning period.
Main Results:
- Flavour-nutrient learning was not achieved due to insufficient consumption of vegetable drinks.
- Average consumption was very low: 2.4g for high energy and 3.0g for low energy drinks.
- High taste intensity of the vegetable flavors is hypothesized as the reason for low consumption.
Conclusions:
- Flavour-nutrient learning was ineffective in this study, likely due to inadequate intake.
- The inherent taste of vegetables might not be palatable to children on its own.
- Future interventions should consider using less intense vegetable flavors or combining them with other foods to facilitate acceptance.
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