1. The Development of Eating Habits
& Taste Preference
Rosa Romero FamR 491
July 5, 2011 Lynn Yamashita

2. State of Children’s Health in U.S.
1in 3 children are obese or overweight by their
5th Birthday (CDC, 2011)
Children do not meet minimum suggestions of
daily fruit and vegetables
Excess of fat, sugar and salt in diet (WHO, 2004)
To healthify the American diet crucial to
first understand how food habits and
taste preferences are formed
Obesity = Malnutrition

3. Effects of poor diets in early childhood
Short term-
Tooth decay, lack of energy, overweight,
mood swings
Long term
possible developmental delays and cognitive deficits,
specifically executive function (Smith et al, 2011)
Diet related conditions in adolescence and adulthood
Hypertension: Infants with high salt diets had
high blood pressure at age 15 (Geleijne et al, 1997)
Diabetes: Sugary drinks primary cause for diabetes in
children (Piernas, Popkin, 2011)

4. Guiding Questions
Are preferences innate or learned?
What tastes are developed first?
What role does food neophobia play?
What factors shapes taste preferences?
By what age are most taste preferences formed?
What role do parents and caregivers have?

5. Nature or Nurture?
Physiological Exposure
development Peer & adult
modeling
Genetic Culture
predisposition Marketing
Environment

6. Taste Development in Infancy
Infants have an innate preference for sweet
(Rosenstein & Oster 1988, Scwatz et al, 2009)
Infants are neutral in response to salt,
however some preference is shown by
4 months. (Harris, Thomas & booth, 1990)
Children show preference to sugar and salty food
they are exposed to over time (Sullican & Birch, 1990)

7. Mothers diet
The Carrot Study (Mennella, Jagnow&Beauchamp, 2001)
Infant exposure to carrots in amniotic
fluid or breast milk enjoyed carrot flavor
more than infants not exposed to it.
Conclusion: prenatal and early post natal exposure
enhanced the infants’ enjoyment of that flavor during
weaning
Early flavor experiences may explain
cultural and ethnic differences in cuisine

8. Food Neophobia
Natural reluctance in humans to consume new or
unusual foods (Stallberg, White & Pliner, 1999)
First 2 years, relatively weak
food neophobia (Birch, Marlin, 1982)
Toddlers discovery of their power could led them
to be “picky eaters”, picking eating toddlers
become picky eating adults (Carruth & Skinner, 2000)
Children's food neophobias resembles their
parents (Logue, Uzzo, McCaty & Smith, 1998)

9. Food Preferences….
Are learned through
Exposure
Exposure frequency
Experience with food
By age 3, most children can rank order their
preferences (Birch & fisher, 1996)
New foods more easily accepted before 4 years old
Strongest predictor of what foods liked
at age 8 are what foods are liked by
age 4 (Skinner et al, 2002)
Food preferences become food habits

10. Modeling
Parent role is central, children model their eating
Food intake patterns of parents and their children
are similar (Fisher, et al, 2002)
Children tend to sample “unfamiliar” foods when
they see an adult eating it than when merely offered
(Harper & Sauders, 1975)
Childcare becoming primary
learning environment for developing
food habits (Briley & McAllaster, 2011)
With age, adult modeling becomes
overshadowed by peer modeling
(Birch 1999)

11. Mixed messages about food
“Foods as rewards”
Increases binge eating as adults (Pahl, 2003)
“Finish your veggies”
Creates a negative association carried out through
adulthood (Fisher & Birch, 1990)
Eat this, while eat I this
Most children start on a diet rich in fruits and vegetables
but decreases with age (Carruth & Skinner, 2000)
Trix are for kids!!!
80% of commercials during cartoons are for
fast foods and sweets
Increased TV viewing equates with an increase
intake of salty and sugar snacks (NAIH, 2005)

12. What you can do to help children
develop healthy habits?
Be a role model and eat more fruits and vegetables
and less sugared drinks
Increase early exposure to a
variety of fruits and vegetables
Garden, cook & eat together
Look for non food rewards such as choosing the
family movie or allowing a sleep over
Create family and school traditions that don’t revolve
around unhealthy food
Teach which foods are “sometimes” foods

13. Cute food art ;)