New research suggests that parents who want their preschoolers to eat their vegetables may need to take a hard look at their own eating habits.
A study observed 120 young children who were allowed to “buy” food from a play grocery store. Researchers noticed that even 2-year-olds tended to mirror their parents’ usual food choices.
Those children who chose sweets, sugary drinks and salty snacks generally had parents whose typical grocery list featured such items. At the same time, children with the healthiest shopping habits seemed to be following their parents’ lead as well.
The findings suggest that even very young children do not indiscriminately reach for candy when given the chance. Instead, they seem to already be forming potentially lasting food preferences based on their parents’ grocery purchases.
“The data suggest that children begin to assimilate and mimic their parents’ food choices at a very young age, even before they are able to fully appreciate the implications of these choices,” said Dr. Lisa A. Sutherland of Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, New Hampshire and colleagues.
Therefore, the researchers believe that the grocery store can be like a classroom, where parents teach their children that food like fruits, vegetables and whole grains take priority over snacks and desserts.
Sutherland’s team had 120 children aged 2 to 6 years old each take a turn in a play grocery store. The kids were allowed to buy anything they wanted out of 133 items: “healthier” foods included fruits, vegetables, whole-grain cereals, bread and milk; “less healthy” items included desserts, candy, potato chips, soda and sugary cereals.
The parents of the children completed questionnaires on how often they bought specific foods and beverages. All said they brought their children with them on grocery store trips.
The researchers found that most of the children bought some sugary, salty treats; on average, their carts were filled with equal parts healthy and unhealthy items.
They reported that 35 children bought significantly more healthy fare than junk food. In general, the study found, the health-consciousness of a child’s shopping cart mirrored that of her parents’ grocery list.
“Nutrition interventions for children most often begin with school-aged children,” said Sutherland. “This study suggests that preschool children are already forming food preferences and are attentive to food choices made by their parents.”
The researchers added that giving preschoolers a taste for healthy foods could ultimately make it easier for them to keep up a lifetime of smart eating.
—
On the Net:
Comments