Pre-adolescents don’t know what parsnip is

#ESR9: My Pilot Study in Lithuania and vegetable preferences I am just in love with the topic of my Ph.D. project which aims to study peers and siblings influence on children healthy eating behavior. And I was even more excited about finding this out myself. So, after a short while of my Ph.D. studies, which…

Role models in children’s eating behavior  

Most of us know that only eating chocolate is not healthy, but does your 3-years-old child know this as well? And what about the taste of olives, did you like it from the first bite, or did you have to try it several times?   From a young age, we all need to learn to eat and parents…

Why children like candies and tend to reject broccoli?

There is clear evidence that most children prefer chocolate bar and candies rather than a handful of grapes or an apple for their mealtime snacks. In addition, they also strongly reject the bitter taste from vegetables. This attitude towards food preference creates a huge challenge for parents and caregivers to provide healthy foods for their…

How fruit consumption at schools can be increased through nudging

As children grow older, they are becoming more independent, with more freedom, money and food choices. Nowadays, it can be difficult for pre-adolescents to make healthy food choices, because of the tempting environment with high availability of unhealthy foods.  As an early stage researcher in Edulia, my goal is to get more insight into the…

Guiding parents through the initiation of complementary feeding

Having a baby makes a big change in the life of new parents. After six months, another important step has to be undertaken; the start of complementary feeding.   In the very first months of their lives most babies are exclusively fed with milk, whether they are breastfed or given infant formula, they just consumed liquids, with no lumps. It…

How can sweet taste preferences be changed? 

There is a clear, evidence-based global public health mandate to limit the consumption of free sugars in the diet (1). Nevertheless, it is unknown how to achieve it and what are the effects on the subsequent eating behaviours.  I am Maria Dueñas, an early stage researcher and I want to investigate the relationship between sugar…

The earlier the better 

Only by listening to parents, to their own needs, we will be able to create health environments for children.  I am Andreia Ferreira de Moura, an Early Stage Researcher, and I will be investigating healthy eating in the very beginning of life. I will explore the establishment of the family food environment. Because; how parents…

Taste detectives for a day

The two early stage researchers Ervina and Martina Galler have been piloting Edulia research protocols at a Norwegian primary school. Last month members of the Edulia team visited 43 children from the 6th grade (children aged 11 to 12 y.o.) in a primary school in Ås, Norway. This day the ordinary teaching was replaced by…