Children are not immature adults. Anyone who has tried to encourage a toddler to eat a new food can attest to this. Is it stubbornness or something else?Â
There are biological reasons why children often refuse foods. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2006 suggests it might be in the genes.  Â
The gene, TAS2R38, has been reported to have variations that cause some children and people to be especially sensitive to bitter tastes. When a child is sensitive to these bitter tastes, the refusal of bitter vegetables, including broccoli, increases. A recent study in the journal Obesity, suggests that children who can taste the bitter compounds are also more likely to become obese. (2008)Â
Additionally, children have more taste buds than adults. So as we age, we truly have the physiologic ability to taste food LESS. So children should always be encouraged to keep trying new foods.  Â
I will recommend that children have to try a new food at least 15 times before you can decide they don’t like it. Parents should expose their children to a variety of foods and let them participate in the food preparation from start to finish.Â
Hi Roberta,
It is interesting that children who find bitter vegetables distasteful may associate negative feelings and even arguments with those vegetables such that when their taste sensation become less sensitive as adults, they may still refuse such vegetables because of those negative associations.
So this might imply that we ought to take care in avoiding traumatic experiences associated with children resisting eating such bitter vegetables?
Thanks.
Hi Roberta,
Having children try a vegetable 15 times before allowing them to decide that they don’t like it sounds daunting. Perhaps if we prepared the vegetables a variety of different ways, it won’t seem like 15 times of the same thing to the children.
Thanks.