Children’s food preferences strongly influence intake and it is
therefore vital to understand how these preferences arise.
Psychological research is beginning to reveal the complex interplay
of innate, learned and environmental factors which shapes
children’s eating patterns. Food preferences develop from
genetically determined predispositions to like sweet and salty
flavours and to dislike bitter and sour tastes. There is evidence
for the existence of some innate, automatic mechanism that
regulate appetite. In 1–3 years infants energy intake regulation
is effective if there is a wide offer of plain foods.
With plain foods, children choose their diet and have a
regular growth, without instructions from adults. Beside the
theory of self-regulation there is evidence that eating behaviour
can be learnt and it is possible to modify energy
intake by a repeated offer. Taste acquisition for specific
foods is a consequence of learning.
Young children are also predisposed to be neophobic about
food. Particularly towards the second year of life, coinciding
with an important period of transition to an adult diet, there is
a tendency to avoid novel foods (neophobia). Neophobia
(literally ‘fear of the new’) manifests itself as a rejection of unfamiliar
foods in favour of familiar ones. In a survey of almost 600
2–6-year-old children, neophobia was significantly negatively
associated with fruit, vegetable and meat intake(8)
THOUGH