Healthy Food Consumption in Children's

Laureati Hildrey^*
*Correspondence: Laureati Hildrey, Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Milano, Italy, Email:

Opinion

Recent studies indicate that action is urgently required to encourage healthy eating habits among youngsters, particularly to increase daily consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Having a healthy diet is important not only for lowering the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and improving general health later in life, but also for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of no hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, no poverty, and economic growth. Eating preferences, especially in youngsters, are important in predicting human food choices and, hence, potentially in the development of overweight and obesity. Food choices, though seemingly simple, are the result of many interacting factors, including biological and physiological (e.g., genetics, sensory acuity, age, gender), psychological (e.g., behavioural traits), and environmental factors (e.g., situational and socio-cultural factors), as well as intrinsic (appearance, smell, taste, and somatosensory characteristics) and extrinsic (e.g., claims and food labels) food props. A greater understanding of the elements that influence food preferences and choice from a young age will help to combat unhealthy eating habits and avoid NCDs. The articles in this Special Issue demonstrate significant and interesting breakthroughs and fresh methods in this discipline.

Food neophobia is thought to be one of the strongest predictors of the quantity of foods liked and tried by school-age children from a psychological standpoint. It has also been linked to a loss in dietary variety and a narrower range of food preferences, particularly for nutritious foods. Food neophobia, defined as the rejection of new and unfamiliar foods, is thought to be a developmentally appropriate reaction to the absorption of novel and possibly hazardous foods. The trajectory of this behaviour is unknown, however food neophobia has been observed to peak between the ages of 2 and 6 years; yet, for some patients, it is a more enduring feature. Previous research has found a link between food neophobia and susceptibility to 'warning' food stimuli in adults. This may explain why some plant-based foods that naturally include fibres and phytochemicals are notoriously characterised by sour, bitter, and astringent sensations are rejected. Despite the fact that food neophobia is the most common cause of food rejection in children, little is known about the relationship between this behavioural feature and individual differences in food responsiveness in children. Three papers in the current Special Issue made significant contributions to this area. The cognitive and perceptual applicability of Von Frey filaments and a gratings orientation test were tested in children aged 6 to 13 years, and lingual tactile sensitivity was compared between children and adults using these instruments.

There were no differences in lingual tactile sensitivity between children and adults, nor between different ages of children. Although neither texture preferences nor food consumption were found to be related to lingual tactile sensitivity, there was a weak but significant positive correlation between lingual tactile sensitivity to the finest Von Frey filament and food neophobia in the youngest age group (6-7 years), indicating that children who have a higher level of food neophobia are more sensitive to oral tactile stimuli. Children (6-13 years old) who preferred softer and non-particulate versions of meals were more neophobic and sensory sensitive across all sensory domains, according to these findings. Furthermore, a cross-national study on the drivers of acceptance of high-fiber biscuits discovered that a tempting appearance, sweet taste, chocolate flavour, as well as a crunchy, smooth, and soft texture contributed positively to liking, whereas visible dots, dry and sticky texture, and whole-wheat were negative contributors. Interestingly, they found that among children with high levels of food neophobia, appearance words (visible lumps and whole-grain) were disliking drivers, while cross-cultural differences in like and disliking drivers were especially noticeable for texture attributes. More research should be done to see if improving the appearance and texture of healthful foods might help neophobic children like them more [1-5].

Finally, the advancement of sensory and consumer science with children and to shed insight on the factors of healthy eating in childhood. Given the complexity of the interacting factors underlying food preference and choice, as well as the importance of these habits in the healthy development of children, more research is clearly required to guide future consumers toward healthy eating and lifestyles, as well as to achieve more efficient and sustainable strategies that account for individual differences in food perception and personality traits and are based on family sensory and nutritional information.

References

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