Playing with food linked to healthy habits
Playing with food could have an unexpected benefit, a new study has found, raising hopes of increasing fresh food consumption in young kids.
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Forget what mum said — playing with food actually helps kids become less picky eaters.
New research shows children who made a picture with fruit and vegetables were more likely to eat such foods afterwards.
It could be a way to tackle worrying levels of fresh food consumption among kids.
UK psychology researcher Dr Helen Coulthard, who completed the study, said letting kids play with food made them more familiar and appetising.
“Parents can use games and play to help desensitise children to the feel of substances on their skin, and therefore make it more likely that they will try them,” Dr Coulthard, from De Montfort University, said.
“The important thing is that when they are playing games, the games are non-taste so the child doesn’t think they will have to eat the food.
“Some children refuse fruits and vegetables because they are sensitive to sensory information, so they taste and feel unpleasant to them. In addition, some children are more anxious, and this increases food refusal.”
The study involved 62 children aged three and four who had to use their fingers to create a picture inspired by picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar using foods like carrots, spinach, lemons, cucumber and blueberries.
Youngsters were encouraged to reshape or squash the foods and were not required to eat anything as part of the game.
Dr Coulthard said exposure to such foods “does not have to be based on taste alone, but familiarity can be increased through exposure to the non-taste sensory properties of fruits and vegetables”.
The findings come as only 16 per cent of children eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables.
Abbotsford mother-of-two, Kate Flatman, said she tried to make mealtimes fun for her five-year-old twins Arlo and Macy.
“If you can make food fun, it can be fun for everybody, not just for the children,” Ms Flatman said.
“It’s not just about eating it but playing with your food which I think is good for little kids,
“We have tried lots of different ways but making it fun seems to be the best way!”
The research, undertaken with Dr Annemarie Sealy, was published in Appetite journal.
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