Researchers highlight the need to strengthen infant feeding and feeding guidelines

Diet and baby feeding guidelines should be strengthened to include more practical advice on how best to support children to learn to eat and eat vegetables, say nutrition researchers and dietetics from Flinders University Institute of Future Care.

With the Australian Health Survey showing that only 6% of children aged 2-17 eat the recommended amount of vegetables, experts say more appropriate practical advice is needed on how you can offer vegetables to young children through increasing exposure each day to increase their inclusion.

A recent paper co-authored by researchers from the Caring Futures Institute and CSIRO, Australia’s national science body, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that up to 10 or more exposures to certain vegetables when the child is between 6 months and five years old may give them a greater chance of liking vegetables and eating more of them.

While the strategy for exposing young children to vegetables is not a new science to aid in taste experience and ultimately inclusion, there is a gap between evidence and dietary advice.

There is an opportunity to improve the uptake of children’s vegetables by including practical advice – the ‘how can’ in our recommendations for parents and carers. “

Professor Rebecca Golley, Deputy Director of the Flinders Caring Futures Institute and Co-Managing Author

Dr Golley says food choices are established within the first five years of life. Therefore, early establishment of healthy eating behaviors is essential to support growth, development, and dietary habits.

“We know that a lack of vegetable consumption over a lifetime affects health, including an increased risk of breast disease, obesity and obesity,” she says.

“That’s why it’s so important to get children to mix vegetables such as green beans, peas, carrots and even Brussels sprouts from an early age.

“Early eating behaviors are evident and babies and young children can be supported to try different foods and learn as they please.”

The paper, Supporting Strategies for Increasing Vegetable Appearance in the Early Years: Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews is the result of a five-year VegKIT project, funded by Hort Innovation and undertaken by consortium led by CSIRO, including Flinders University and the Australian Department of Nutrition Australia.

A shadow review of the existing international body of research on sensory and behavioral strategies that support children to enjoy certain foods including vegetables has been shadowed. .

The project examined 11 systematic reviews to test the effectiveness of strategies including repeat exposure and a variety of vegetables, and found promising evidence.

Emerging evidence was found for other strategies such as offering vegetables as a first food (not fruit), using non-food rewards to promote veggies food and vegetable-based storybooks read.

The report also clarifies that foundations for vegetables can be laid before a baby is born.

“It seems that the mother’s diet also plays a part in displaying vegetable flavors indoors and increasing the children’s chances of liking and eating them later, and the same goes for for mothers’ diets while breastfeeding, “says Dr. Golley.

However, she says more research needs to support these strategies if they are to be the basis for advice for parents, health professionals and policy makers.