Although there are genes that influence how we perceive the taste of food, there are ways to expand the tastes of “picky” eaters.
It’s 5:45 pm and you’ve just gotten home after a long day at work. All you want is a glass of wine and binge-watching old episodes of your favorite series. Suddenly, little Sally, her 8-year-old daughter, a gastronomic adventurer, enters the kitchen. “I am hungry, what’s for dinner?”
Sally was never afraid to try a food. You already remember her savoring the salty, spicy flavor of an oyster and happily devouring spicy instant noodles.
Before he can respond, Billy, his 4-year-old son, who is quite picky about his food, shouts from the living room: “Pasta with cheese!“Billy alternates between three main dishes: pasta with packaged cheese, chicken nuggets (only in the shape of a dinosaur) and pasta (only spaghetti).
He sighs and wonders how such different creatures ended up in the same family.
If this situation sounds familiar, you are not alone. Understanding how food preferences develop can help parents teach their children to appreciate a diverse, varied and healthy diet.
Nature vs. creation?
Could genes be to blame in the case of kids with picky taste buds like Billy? Although the genes may have some influenceoften explain only a small part of the story.
People are born liking the sweet taste and not liking the bitter taste. These characteristics are believed to be protective, as they can help direct a person to sources of calories – which are usually sweet, such as fruit or breast milk – and avoid potential toxins or poisonswhich are generally bitter.
As an example of these innate preferences, one found that pregnant women who consumed sweet carrot capsules had babies who smiled on ultrasound, while those who ate bitter cabbage capsules had babies who made faces at the camera, suggesting early on that they were pregnant. aversion to bitter vegetables.
In addition to these innate responses, there are genes that affect the ability to taste bitter compounds. These compounds, called thioureas, are similar to those found in cruciferous vegetables. People who inherit genes that make them sensitive to these bitter compounds – around 70% of the US population – also tend to be more sensitive to other bitter flavors in foods. Therefore, they may not like foods like raw broccoli, black coffee, and grapefruit.
However, there are many people who develop a taste for bitter foods, even if their first experience with them was unpleasant. An example of this is the growing popularity of bitter IPA beers.
Another gene that can influence food preferences is the gene that causes the coriander has a soapy flavor. Those born with a version of this olfactory gene — up to 20% of the U.S. population — are sensitive to aldehyde compounds that tend to taste like soap. Because of this flavor, they often don’t like cilantro.
Pavlov and food preferences
Although genes alone explain only a small part of taste, a person’s interactions with food in the environment are particularly influential when it comes to what you want for dinner.
Ivan Pavlov was a 19th century experimental physiologist who demonstrated that dogs could be conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell. He subjected them to a period of conditioning in which mealtime was repeatedly associated with the sound of a bell. Most pets have some ability to learn to associate environmental stimuli – such as a bowl of food or the sound of their owner’s commands – with food.
In the early 1980s, psychologist Leann Birch conducted a series of studies showing that people develop food preferences using a process similar to Pavlov’s classical conditioning. When the taste of a food is associated with positive experiences – such as an increase in calories, the release of reward chemicals in the brain, or the pleasant tone of a mother’s voice – these positive experiences can increase how much a person likes a particular food. On the other hand, negative experiences, such as a severe stomach ache or punishment associated with eating a food – “You have to eat all your vegetables or no screen!” – can often decrease how much someone likes a food.
Babies begin to learn about nutrition before they are even born. In a classic study by biopsychologist Julie Mennella, pregnant mothers who drank carrot juice four days a week during pregnancy or while breastfeeding had babies who they accepted carrot-flavored cereal better when it was first presented to them. The flavors transmitted by the amniotic fluid to the developing fetus prepare the future baby to accept the family’s cuisine.
Hope for children with picky taste buds
The good news is that, for most children, food selectivity is a phase that tends to decrease as they reach school age. And if kids are growing at a healthy rate, it’s usually not something to worry too much about.
For parents who want to help their children expand their palate, the most important thing is to give them repeated opportunities to try foods without pressing or forcing them. Some children need 12 or more tasting experiences with a new food before they accept it. Some children will also be open to trying foods at school or daycare, even if they don’t try them in front of you.
