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The development of taste in children

A very interesting article published in the October issue Child's Doctor and the development of taste in children.

Very often we wonder why a child and an adult have a preference for some foods, refusing others. The answer until now was based more on conjecture, assumption of bad habits, of "fixation" of blame. The article by Luigi
Greek and Gabriella Morini opens up new roads, first to know but also practical, for the interpretation that may be provided to parents and advice relate in particular to the weaning period. Reinforce the idea that weaning is a time before which any rigidity, any scheme can be mixed not only not helpful but also counterproductive. And this for several reasons and among them "learning" of taste, which has a certain genetic basis, as Paul reminds us, Gasparini, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo in Trieste in his editorial accompanying the article, but that may be partly changed.

As with everything, the taste, the choice of a food rather than another, is linked to about half to genetics, the other half to the environment: in the particular case, habit, e specialmente alle abitudini precoci, gestazione, allattamento, svezzamento. Si tratta di un primo approccio, insieme scientifico e antropologico, alla scienza dell’alimentazione applicata al bambino.

Questi i messaggi chiave che si possono ricavare dalla lettura del lavoro:

1. I gusti sono 5: dolce, salato, amaro, acido e umami. Quest’ultimo è un gusto particolare, individuato di recente, associato al L-glutammato.
2. Ciascuno di questi gusti ha una sua spiegazione funzionale, ed è stato elaborato dall’evoluzione in funzione di precisi benefici per l’individuo e per la specie.
3. Il sistema sensoriale è comune per i diversi gusti e is based on specific receptors, present in all taste cells.
4. The trend in children's taste is different (easier, mainly oriented to the sweet and fatty) and adults (most of which accept the nuances that show love and to have less well-defined preferences). These differences are due to learning.
5. The infant prefers food that has already eaten through the amniotic fluid and then through breast milk intake of vegetable baby food is easier in breastfed infants than in bottle-fed.
6. a stretch of neophobia (the rejection of new, that is the first baby food) produces a stable waste. Each new food should be supplied with patiently, in small quantities at a time, in 7-8 times, and shared some with his mother who, tasting the food, reassures the child.
   

What can recommend a pediatrician, what can parents do?
say Greek and Morini:
exposure, especially in times precocious prenatal, during breastfeeding, but especially at weaning. For example, the strongest predictor of fruit and vegetable consumption by children is the consumption of fruits and vegetables of his parents and his brothers. Traditionally, the mother of baby food tastes a little baby to encourage this reinforces the acceptance dell’alimento;
gratificazione : l’offerta ripetuta del cibo che è stato accettato rafforza le successive scelte dello stesso cibo. Al contrario, se si gratifica con “un cibo più buono” l’accettazione di un determinato alimento, questa gratificazione tende a screditare la scelta dell’alimento per cui si è dato il premio. Non bisogna distrarre il bambino con gratificazioni o distrazioni non alimentari: hanno un effetto contrario a quello desiderato.

Per approfondire:

Greco L, Morini G. Lo sviluppo del gusto nel bambino . Medico e Bambino 2010;29:509-513

Gasparini P. Sviluppo del gusto nel bambino: tra genetica and environment. Medical and Child 2010, 29:483-484

Related articles on weaning:

L. Piermarini Complementary feeding on demand: over weaning. Medical and Child 2006, 25:439-422