Question

“Food preferences developed in infancy set the stage for lifelong food habits”. The author suggests that the feeding relationship can help to develop trust and security in an infant. What do you think about this topic? How might parental attitudes toward food influence very young children?

Answer 1

The basic development of preferences of food, taste and flavour begins even before birth.

Nutritious food should be fed to children like fruits and vegetables from a very early age. Health centers suggest multiple servings around 5-13 of fruits and vegetables per day which depends upon one's caloric requirement. But children are not eating enough fruits and vegetables, and in many of the cases they do not eat any fruits or vegetables.

Parental attitudes toward food

The dietary preferences are made by infants very rearly in life. Pregnant and nursing women should consume nutritious diets with a lot of flavors. Parents should be telling their children about the benefits of fruits and vegetables (healthy diet). They should be guiding them from very early to what to eat and what not to. This will automatically develop in them an understanding of healthy diet and they will continue this for longer.