Junior Needn't Stay A Picky Eater

Even the most stubborn and picky children can be taught to enjoy all types of food if they are given the right encouragement.

Professor Jane Wardle, a clinical psychologist at University College London, told a science conference Monday that food dislikes are not inherited and parents can teach their children to try different types of food.

"The earlier food is introduced the more likely it is to be liked," she said.

Babies are usually introduced to solid food when they are four to six months old, so if broccoli, spinach and peas are given to babies at a young age it increases the chances that they will enjoy the vegetables as they get older.

For children who have already developed dislikes to the look of some foods, Wardle advocates giving tiny tastes, on the tip of the tongue, to initiate them.

"Up to 10 exposures are required to change a dislike to a like and on average parents stop after two or three attempts to see if a child likes a food," she said.

Parents should also not offer an alternative if they want their children to eat a particular thing. A child is more likely to eat an apple if it is the only food available but would probably not if a chocolate bar was also offered.

Sociological studies have shown that American and British children are pickier eaters than their French counterparts which Wardle suspects is because they have a bigger choice.

French children are also more likely to eat the same foods as their parents, unlike children in Britain and the United States where parents have a more child-centered way of feeding youngsters.

"France has always had, at least as far as food is concerned, a much more non child-centered culture. Parents choose what kids eat," she said, adding that parents are less likely to offer alternatives.