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Study finds why children don't eat their greens

Eating Greens - Level 0

Everyone knows children don't like eating greens. A new study explains why. The study looked at what young children ate. The study found that genes made children dislike greens. The children also disliked other things. This means parents do not have to stress if their children do not eat vegetables.

DNA changes how children taste food. They think many vegetables are bitter. A researcher into obesity said children have a sensitive taste. The new research could help to fight obesity in children. The researcher said we needed to know more about how children change from drinking milk to eating the food the family eats.

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Eating Greens - Level 1

Everyone knows that children don't like eating greens. Parents can't get their children to eat vegetables. A new study explains why. The study looked at the eating habits of young children. The study found that genes can make children dislike greens. The children can become fussy eaters. This means parents do not have to stress if their children do not eat vegetables. Many parents worry about what their children eat.

DNA changes how small children taste things. They think many vegetables taste bitter. A researcher into obesity said it was not surprising that children have a sensitive taste. Many children think broccoli is bitter. The new research could help to fight obesity in children. The researcher said there needs to be more research. She said: "There is a huge gap in the research when children [move] from a milk-based diet to foods that the rest of the family eats."

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Eating Greens - Level 2

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Everyone knows that young children don't like eating greens. It is difficult for parents to get their children to eat vegetables like broccoli. A new study explains why this is. The study looked at the eating habits of two- to four-year-olds. The study found that two genes can make children dislike greens. The genes can make some youngsters dislike new food, so they become fussy eaters. It found that not liking greens is because of a child's genes. This means parents do not have to stress if their children do not eat vegetables. Many parents worry because their children do not eat healthily.

The study found that changes in DNA changes how small children taste things. Children think many green vegetables taste bitter. Natasha Cole, a member of an obesity prevention program said it was not surprising that some children have a sensitive taste. She said this makes them think things like broccoli are bitter. She said the new research could help to find new ways of fighting obesity in children. Ms Cole says there needs to be more research. She said: "There is a huge gap in the research when children [move] from a milk-based diet to foods that the rest of the family eats."

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Eating Greens - Level 3

Everyone knows that many young children don't like eating their greens. Parents have a hard time getting their children to eat vegetables like broccoli and Brussel sprouts. A new study may have an answer about why this is. The study looked at the eating habits of two- to four-year-olds. It found that not liking greens is because of a child's genes. This means parents do not have to stress out over their children not eating enough vegetables. Many parents worry because they cannot get their children to eat healthily. The study found that changes in two genes can make children dislike greens. The changes put some youngsters off trying new food and can turn them into fussy eaters.

The study found that changes in DNA can affect how some small children taste things differently. These children think many green vegetables taste very bitter. Children without the DNA changes do not think these vegetables are bitter. Natasha Cole, a member of an obesity prevention program at Illinois University, said it was not surprising some children have very a sensitive taste. She said this makes them think things like broccoli are bitter. She said the new research could help to find new ways of tackling childhood obesity. Ms Cole says there needs to be more research. She said: "There is a huge gap in the research when children [move] from a milk-based diet to foods that the rest of the family eats."

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