Repeated exposure to food and food acceptability in infants and toddlers: a systematic review

Spill, Maureen; Johns, Kirsten; Callahan, Emily; Shapiro, M.J; Wong, Yat Ping; Benjamin‐Neelon, Sara E.; Birch, Leann L.; Black, Maureen M.; Cook, John T.; Faith, Myles S.; Mennella, Julie A.; Casavale, Kellie

doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqy308

Cited by 67 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Since infants have an affinity towards sweet tastes, foods with intrinsically bitter taste profiles such as vegetables are not as readily accepted (27) . Three recently published systematic reviews on strategies to improve vegetable acceptance in infants and toddlers all concluded that repeated taste exposure to a variety of vegetables is the most effective approach to increase children's vegetable intake (27)(28)(29) . Pairing of vegetables with familiar sweet flavours does not appear to improve vegetable acceptance (30) .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are the nutrient and textural properties of Australian commercial infant and toddler foods consistent with infant feeding advice?

et al. 2020

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Infant feeding guidelines worldwide recommend first foods to be Fe rich with no added sugars and that nutrient-poor discretionary foods are to be avoided. Feeding guidelines also recommend exposing infants to a variety of foods and flavours with increasingly complex textures. Here, we compare nutritional and textural properties of commercial infant and toddler foods available in Australia with established infant feeding guidelines. Nutrition information and ingredient lists were obtained from food labels, manufacturer and/or retailer websites. In total, 414 foods were identified, comprising mostly mixed main dishes, fruit and vegetable first foods and snacks. Most products were poor sources of Fe, and 80 % of first foods were fruit-based. Half of all products were purées in squeeze pouches, and one-third of all products were discretionary foods. The nutritional content of many products was inconsistent with guidelines, being low in Fe, sweet, smooth in consistency or classified as discretionary. Reformulation of products is warranted to improve Fe content, particularly in mixed main dishes, expand the range of vegetable-only foods and textural variety. Greater regulatory oversight may be needed to better inform parents and caregivers. Frequent consumption of commercial baby foods low in Fe may increase the risk of Fe deficiency. Excessive consumption of purées via squeeze pouches may also have implications for overweight and obesity risk.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are the nutrient and textural properties of Australian commercial infant and toddler foods consistent with infant feeding advice?

et al. 2020

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“…Repeated exposure is an effective method for increasing consumption of a target vegetable in preschool aged children [12][13][14]. Repeated exposure over 8-10 days increased acceptability of vegetables in infants and toddlers [15]. Repeated exposure has also had a positive effect on intake of a novel vegetable [16] and on increasing intake and liking for previously disliked vegetables [17,18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Nursery-Based Cooking Skills Programme with Parents and Children Reduced Food Fussiness and Increased Willingness to Try Vegetables: A Quasi-Experimental Study

et al. 2020

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Children’s fussy eating is associated with a reduced vegetable intake. This quasi-experimental study evaluated “Big Chef Little Chef” (BCLC), a nursery-based cooking skills programme aimed at reducing food fussiness and increasing willingness to try green vegetables by incorporating repeated exposure and sensory learning. Parent and child (3–5 years) dyads attended BCLC for four/1.5 h weekly sessions. A comparison group was recruited after BCLC completion and attended a single education session at week 1. A questionnaire measured food fussiness at week 1 and week 4. At week 4, all children were offered six green vegetables (raw and cooked) and an average score (1 = did not try; 2 = tried it/ate some; 3 = ate it all) was calculated for willingness to try vegetables. In total, 121 dyads (intervention: n = 64; comparison: n = 57) participated. The food fussiness score (1 min–5 max) in the intervention group decreased significantly from 3.0 to 2.6 (p < 0.01) between time points, while there was no change in the comparison group (3.1 (week 1) and 3.0 (week 4)). The intervention group was more willing to try green vegetables with significantly higher (p < 0.001) median scores for raw and cooked vegetables (2.5 for both) compared with the comparison group (2.0 and 1.7, respectively). The BCLC reduced food fussiness and increased willingness to try green vegetables.

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“…Behavioral research conducted with children has shown that early repeated exposure to flavors, including the flavors of vegetables, may induce increases of consumption of the foods with those flavors (see Rohlfs-Domínguez, 2014a , for a review). Tasting the flavors of these foods at early stages of development: specifically at the prenatal, breastfeeding, and weaning stages, along with early childhood from 2 to 6 years of age, causes children to learn to like those foods and vegetables (see Rohlfs-Domínguez, 2014a ; Wadhera et al 2015; Rohlfs-Domínguez, 2018 ; Spahn et al, 2019 ; Spill et al, 2019 for reviews). Moreover, there is evidence pointing to the existence of sensitive periods of gustatory and olfactory learning that shows high correlations between the acquired food preferences during early childhood and the food preferences in posterior life phases, such as late childhood, adolescence and young adulthood (see Rohlfs-Domínguez, 2014b , p. 32 for a review).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New insights into the ontogeny of human vegetable consumption: From developmental brain and cognitive changes to behavior

Domínguez

2020

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

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Highlights There is research gap regarding how mental growth and brain maturation may impact on vegetable consumption. We have identified particular brain maturation and mental growth patterns that may affect child vegetable consumption. Both of these developmental patterns partially match with the Piagetian theory of development. We have identified a series of potential modulating factors. The 3–4 and 4−5 age ranges might potential sensitive periods for acquisition of brand knowledge of foods and health-related abstract concepts.

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Repeated exposure to food and food acceptability in infants and toddlers: a systematic review

Cited by 67 publications

References 29 publications

Are the nutrient and textural properties of Australian commercial infant and toddler foods consistent with infant feeding advice?

Are the nutrient and textural properties of Australian commercial infant and toddler foods consistent with infant feeding advice?

A Nursery-Based Cooking Skills Programme with Parents and Children Reduced Food Fussiness and Increased Willingness to Try Vegetables: A Quasi-Experimental Study

New insights into the ontogeny of human vegetable consumption: From developmental brain and cognitive changes to behavior

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