Children's Taste Study to Increase Vegetable Intake in Preschoolers

Studies have shown that when exposed to a variety of food and flavor options people tend to
consume more than when only one item is presented. This strategy has been used to increase
vegetable intake in adults and during snacktime in children. Increasing vegetable consumption
in children is important because higher vegetable intake has been associated with reduced
risk of disease and because vegetables can help prevent weight gain by lowering the energy
density of a meal. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using herb and
spice blends to create flavor variety in carrots as a model vegetable in a laboratory test
meal. We predict that children will consume more vegetables and that the energy density of
the meal will be lower when a variety of seasoned carrots are presented in comparison to a
single flavor. A secondary goal of the study was to determine other influences that may
predict children's liking and intake of seasoned vegetables, such as previous exposure,
infant feeding practices, and genetic bitter sensitivity.