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2003/10/07
They believe being picky about food is an evolutionary trait,
designed to protect them from harm.
The scientists from Cancer Research UK based their findings
on a study of 564 mothers with young children.
They found children were generally fussy about the same foods
- green vegetables, meat and fruit, which historically were
the most dangerous.
In early human history, the presence of toxins within many
plants made eating fruit and vegetables risky for children,
while meat carried a high risk of food poisoning.
Neophobic kids
Very young children are often happy to put almost anything
in their mouths, but by the age of two, many become reluctant
to eat foods they have not tasted before.
Such behaviour is known as neophobia and almost all children
show it to some degree, although some more so than others.
Lucy Cooke and colleagues at Cancer Research UK's Health Behaviour
Unit at University College London carried out a survey to see
if children were fussy about certain types of foods.
They questioned each of the mothers on their own and their
children's eating habits.
They found neophobic children often consumed very low amounts
of green vegetables, meat and fruit, but ate normal amounts
of other types of food, such as potatoes, cereals, biscuits,
crisps and cakes.
The fussier a child was, the lower their consumption of potentially
dangerous foods.
The researchers concluded that neophobia is not a random phenomenon
but a carefully directed strategy to avoid particular food
types.
"Plant toxins can be very dangerous to children, as
could the effects of food poisoning from unrefrigerated meat," said
Mrs Cooke.
"So it makes sense that humans may have evolved to
be highly suspicious of certain food types as youngsters and
only to
trust foods they have eaten before."
She said rather than giving children free reign to refuse to
eat their greens again, the study findings could help parents.
"If children see their parents eating a particular
food before having to face it themselves, they may be reassured
that it
is unlikely to do them any harm."
Fruit and veg
Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer
Research UK, said parents should encourage children to eat
fruit and vegetables.
"Up to a third of cancers could be prevented with
improvements in diet, with an increase in fruit and vegetable
consumption
the top priority.
"Unfortunately, people often form their eating habits
very early in life and it can be difficult to persuade them
to eat more
healthily later on. "The traditional family meal is becoming
a thing of the past, with parents losing their opportunity
to demonstrate the tastiness - and the benefit - of vegetables
and fruit.
"This intriguing glimpse into the mind of the fussy
child suggests that children need active persuasion that their
greens really
are good for them."
The study is published in the journal Appetite.
BBC
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