We know how some children become fussy eaters after the age of two but now research has shown that some might unexpectedly start to resist certain textures in foods around the age of six.

A study by the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Food Science revealed that at about this age, children prefer smooth foods and avoid crunch.  This includes pieces of fruit in their yoghurt, whole peanuts in peanut butter, berry pieces in jam and so on.  But don’t worry – this is a phase that will most likely pass.

In the study, 76% of 6-year-olds showed a preference for foods without lumps.

Is this a protective measure?

According to Ching Yue Chow, a lead researcher, there may be an explanation for why children’s avoidance of complex texture in food peaks around the age of six.

“Food neophobia is often described as the reluctance to eat new or unfamiliar foods. It is thought to be a protective function to prevent children from eating potentially poisonous foods or other dangerous things when they start to become more independent. Studies have reported that food neophobia starts from a low baseline at weaning. It increases sharply as a child becomes more mobile and independent, reaching a peak at around 6 or 7 years old.

“As such, it makes sense that this particular group in our study does not like too many lumps in food, as it is at this age that they are most cautious when it comes to food,” explains Chow.

Children’s food preferences do mature with age and they become more willing to try new foods between the ages of 7 – 12 years.

Changing their tastes

Once children have passed the critical age of six, it may be time to encourage them to accept chunky foods.  This means trying again and again to get them to accept the previously avoided foods – often up to 15 times.

“A lot of research on children and foods shows that repeated exposures to new dishes have a positive effect on whether they’ll bother eating them. Specifically, it is about giving children the opportunity to taste new food while there is something on the plate that they already know. Often they need to be presented with the new dish 8–15 times before they develop preference for it, but persistence pays off,” Chow recommends.

Try to resist the urge to offer rewards for eating foods they resist.  “Rewarding a child with an ice cream if they eat their broccoli, is a very short-term strategy. Because the moment you remove the ice cream, they don’t want to eat the healthy foods. At the same time, you shouldn’t pressure a child or try to force them to eat certain things, because you risk that they will eat the new food even less than before because they associate it with something negative,” says Chow.

The new research results shed more light on the food preferences of children between the ages of five and twelve, which the researcher hopes can make parents and the food industry wiser about our relationships with food.

Article published in the Journal of Texture Studies (2024).

 Image supplied by Freepix.