How Children Learn to Recognize Healthy Foods
Healthy nutrition for children from an early age
Which parents and grandparents don't know this often tedious topic of healthy eating for children and healthy foods? But even though this topic is annoying and has been addressed so many times, it is incredibly important. Because, if we're honest, we parents and grandparents know the reaction of our little ones when it comes to fruits and vegetables. Especially vegetables. As soon as something green is on the plate, the child's nose wrinkles immediately. "I don't like it," "It's disgusting," and similar things are what we hear. For this very reason, it is so important that our little darlings get to know healthy foods from an early age and maybe even learn to love them.
How can I make healthy foods like vegetables appealing to my child?
If we're honest, we all know this from our childhood and youth. The more parents push something, the less we tend to do it. This doesn't differ when it comes to nutrition either. We almost never say to our child, "Eat the meat, then you'll grow big and strong," or "Have another spoonful of chocolate spread on your bread roll." What we always do say is: "Eat your vegetables." In doing so, we don't even realize that through this behavior, we are sending signals to the child. Namely, the signal that something is wrong. The child itself doesn't know what the signal means but senses it. Let's assume we didn't react at all while eating. Then our children would only eat what tastes good to them.
As babies, they eat their jars of food and even then, although these are completely unseasoned, they begin to get to know their sense of taste. Carrot puree tastes sweet, apple puree as well. Spaghetti jars are tasty, but spinach jars are not well received by many babies. Evolutionary theory provides an explanation for this.
The sense of taste in our babies and children is many times stronger than in adults
Evolutionary theory explains why babies, for example, do not like spinach. It is assumed that our genetic makeup generally corresponds to that of hunter-gatherers. Anything unfamiliar, sour, or bitter might be toxic, inedible, or spoiled. For our ancestors, this reflex was essential, though it is largely overlooked today. Evolution lags behind the rapid changes in living conditions. Thus, children still activate a "safety taste," which is only overwritten through years of life experience.
Healthy foods cause rejection in babies
Children have many more taste buds than adults. Our sense of taste decreases about tenfold over our lifetime, starting with around 10,000 in infants and 4,000 in older adults. Therefore, infants and toddlers can interpret these impressions and often react with rejection. Only after repeated eating, for example with different seasoning and preparation, can this rejection be overcome. There is hope that the child will eventually come to like spinach.
Learning about healthy foods through play
Children learn a lot through seeing, touching, feeling, and tasting. From an early age, they are eager to learn and curious. If you include fruits and vegetables not only in the eating process but also in play for toddlers, these healthy foods take on a whole new meaning. For example, in a play store, fruits and vegetables are indispensable. They naturally belong in the sales area.
Healthy foods as wooden toys for the play store and the play kitchen
With the howa wooden toy play store accessories, children learn about healthy foods through play. Healthy fruits in great colors like melon, pear, orange, grapes, and vegetables like carrot, mushroom, bell pepper, tomato, and more. With the 16-piece howa wooden cutting set for fruits and vegetables 4867, children can also practice cutting. The fruits are held together with Velcro fasteners. With the right technique, children can practice cutting again and again. These are essential sets for every play kitchen and play store. By engaging with these toys, children deepen their connection to them.
Making fruits and vegetables appealing to children
Doesn’t that look delicious and tempting? As with all other dishes, it’s true that we eat with our eyes first. Children are much more likely to eat fruits and vegetables when they are made into fun shapes and figures. I found some great recipes on Eltern.de about "Healthy and simple snack ideas for lunchboxes" that can help with preparation and decoration.
Whether as shapes or as ice cream – this is how fruit becomes the highlight of the day for children.
There are parents and grandparents who puree vegetables as a sauce for lunch to get their children to eat the "disgusting vegetables." This trick works well until the little ones figure it out. Our tip is to make fruits and vegetables appealing to children from an early age. How about fruit ice cream instead of chocolate pudding or sweets for dessert? This way, fruit can become the highlight of the day, because which child doesn’t like ice cream?
It is important to offer children fruits and vegetables again and again in different variations. As mentioned earlier, taste preferences change over the years.
Forcing and pressuring children to eat something they absolutely dislike is definitely not a solution. The best method is to lead by good example, and to have some patience and understanding.
