New Study Suggests Flavor Pairing may Help Children like Vegetables

According to a new study, pairing flavored sauces and spreads liked by children with vegetables will get them to eat vegetables regularly.

Researchers from the Arizona State University (published in the Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) interviewed 29 preschoolers on how they felt about 11 different vegetables including whether they liked it or disliked it or had never tried it. They measured the effectiveness of paring vegetables like cauliflower and Brussels sprouts with sweetened and unsweetened cream cheese. The children were divided in three groups, the first group received the vegetable with unsweetened cream cheese, the second group with sweetened cream cheese and the third group received without any cream cheese. After one week, the participants were served these vegetables without any cream cheese. By the end of 15 days the researchers saw that children who were served vegetables along with cream cheese liked them significantly more than those who were served plain.

Less than a quarter of children liked Brussels sprouts without cream cheese whereas more than 72 percent of children liked the vegetable when served with cream cheese.  

 Majority of children in the U.S. do not eat the required amount of vegetables and their consumption is mainly hindered by Neophobia or a fear of something new- a condition that is typical among children between the ages 2 and 5 years. The authors said that this strategy of paring food with something that children and adults already know and like will induce them to consume more fruits and vegetables.

Elizabeth Capaldi-Phillips, study author and psychologist at Arizona State University said, "This has the potential to change the eating habits of children, including eating more vegetables, and this in turn will affect childhood obesity."

According to a previous research, children need to try new foods at least eight to 10 ten times before they get used to its taste. But the new study got the children to like the vegetables only after seven trials.

Devina Wadhera, coauthor and researcher at Arizona State University said, "Children develop food preferences at a young age, yet tend to be really picky at this age, so it's important to sustain healthy habits which will persist into adulthood." reports Reuters.