When a baby’s window for liking vegetables closes

No pressure, but the amount and variety of vegetables I feed my baby now could influence his eating habits and health ... for life. What I put in my own mouth also shapes my 13-month-old boy’s future.

As if working parents during a pandemic didn’t have enough on their plates already. Sheesh. Luckily, this was already a priority of mine before I read the Oct. 26 Wall Street Journal article detailing on this critical time window in babyhood that helps establish health in adulthood.

(Note, this produce-loving parent bought her in-utero baby a “Kale University” onesie and an “A is for Artichoke” children’s book. Her baby was an avocado for Halloween. She’s that person.)

Child nutrition researchers discovered that babies 6-12 months old are the most receptive to new foods, including bitter foods like kale. But after 1 year, babies are less likely to eat the kale, and from 2 to 5, children experience a “neophobia” of the palate or unwillingness to try new foods.

This research has influenced the federal committee of academics and doctors in charge of revising the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. These guidelines are supposed to be finalized before 2021. And for the first time ever, they include children younger than 2. The guidelines form school lunch programs, shape state and local health promotions, and affect what food companies produce.

Eventually, requirements on the Nutrition Facts label could change based on the guidelines Suggested guidelines related to produce include:

• Babies 6-9 months old should have one-eighth to one-fourth cups of fruits and vegetables each per day;
• For toddlers 1-2 years old who no longer breastfeed or drink formula and need 1,000 calories a day, 1 cup of fruits and 1 cup of vegetables are recommended; and
• All children younger than 2 should consume no added sugars.

Experts are making these changes because of the rising obesity rates in children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 18.5% of 2- to 19-year-olds are obese, according to 2015-16 data, compared to 13.9% in 1999-2000.

Babies are particularly vulnerable to added sugars because they’re accustomed to the sweetness of breast milk and wired to want the high calorie count that sweets promise because growing babies need calories. Infants also extra sensitive to bitter tastes, which translates to a dislike.

With all the added sugars and saturated fats in our foods, plus the biological predisposition toward those foods, it’s no wonder only 6% of babies 6-12 months old are eating dark green vegetables on a given day, according to the committee’s research.Yet, the senses that underlie flavor perception are flexible and can be modified by early experience, which means new, research-based strategies can improve children’s diets, according to a 2016 article in the Advances in Nutrition journal by the American Society for Nutrition.

Babies who are exposed to a vegetable each day for eight to 10 days are more likely to eat more of the vegetable and eat it faster from then on, according to the journal. 

Also, infants who were repeatedly exposed to different vegetables on different days not only ate more of those vegetables but also ate more of the new vegetables than infants repeatedly exposed to only one vegetable did, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Persistence, consistency and variety matter. What parents and caregivers eat is influential too. 

“We cannot underestimate the role of the caregivers because they feed their children what they themselves are eating,” according to the journal. Also: “The more fruits and vegetables eaten by the mother, the more likely their child followed their lead.”

Industry, target your marketing accordingly. Parents, I’ll give us a break, but we can at least try.

Amy Sowder is The Packer’s Northeast editor. E-mail her at asowder@farmjournal.com.