Children & vegetables: A hate, hate relationship

Recently in a family get-together, we had a good laugh talking about people’s reaction to certain food items ranging from sweets to vegetables to greens of various kinds. Usually, during the festivals all we do is talk about food. This Dashain and Tihar were no exceptions. At the gathering, people became more and more nostalgic and started describing amusing faces people made while eating either Karela or Methi.

Topics narrowed down and we eventually focused on children’s attitude towards vegetables. Just remembering children’s reaction to certain food brought back fond memories. The topic came and went, giving way to a more relevant one, ie what to cook for dinner. We dispersed, getting busy with our kitchen duties.

I, for one, kept coming back to the topic of some children’s reaction to vegetables each time I served them vegetables. We all know that vegetables contain plenty of vitamins and fiber and are good for health. When this is explained to the children, they will understand it at the moment, but when it comes down to eating, many will not touch vegetables. At this point, we are stressed, irritated and confused by the recalcitrant children and ask ourselves: Why is it that they do not like vegetables? I am sure just like me, there are others who would like to know the answer, if there is one.

Now that the festivals are finally over, I have decided to give the topic a little more thought. My mental database was of no use because I always considered it the parents’ fault if the children didn’t like to eat certain vegetables. Children don’t come with the knowledge of what to like and what not to like. Their taste needs to be cultivated to like vegetables just like they can be made to take an interest in any other thing. I never thought about how their taste buds might react to certain tastes at the time. Now that I do, I question my own logic: Was I wrong in blaming the parents if their children don’t eat certain foods?

Not entirely. My logic needed some refinement. Parents who have bad eating habits will pass it on to their children. Generally, children of parents who do not eat vegetables won’t touch vegetables either. Then, apparently, nature and evolution has something to do with it, according to findings of a new research. We need to understand that just like the number of bones and nerve cells cease to grow after the children reach a certain age, the number of their taste buds also goes down with age. But isn’t it amazing that children are born with over 10,000 taste sensors?

By the time they reach adulthood, they are left with just 3,000 taste buds. Hence, the taste of vegetables or other foods are more strongly felt by children than adults. Now parents, you can relax and breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that it’s not entirely your fault if your children don’t like certain types of vegetables.

Doctors believe up to one-third of cancers can be prevented with increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, cultivating the habit of eating vegetables in children is very important. We cannot force them to eat despite their will, but we can coax them into trying it.

Knowing this made me look at things in a slightly different manner. Now it made perfect sense why elders instructed new mothers breastfeeding their babies not to eat too much greens and spicy food. Usually, the logic is that the baby would have an upset stomach. That may be true because what the mother eats reaches the child through her milk.

And as children also have more taste buds as compared to adults, they have a stronger sense of flavors. So children can taste the flavors in the mother’s milk more intensely, and not like it. Hence, they react by crying even after their feeding. As they grow, they still have more taste buds than adults. That is also the reason why children do not like vegetables with strong taste like spinach, cabbage, sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, mustard, you name it.

So does that mean children should not be introduced to vegetables and should instead be fed junk food like soft drinks, candy, cookies and other processed food? Not exactly. Doctors believe up to one-third of cancers can be prevented with increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, cultivating the habit of eating vegetables in children is very important. We cannot force them to eat despite their will, but we can coax them into trying it.

A gradual introduction to different types of vegetables in small amounts is the way to go about it. Slowly, the children will overcome the distaste as they grow. Yet, the question of the bitter-tasting vegetables remains.

As I can imagine, there are some readers wondering why some children and even adults do not like bitter-tasting Karela, Neem or Methi. Can there be a reason for this too? Apparently, there is one. A study done at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia shows that a gene called TAS2R38 may be responsible for adults and children not liking bitter tastes.

Everyone carries two of these genes. According to the scientists, there are two different versions of this gene, with one being more sensitive to bitter tastes than the other. If one or both of those bitter-sensitive genes are present, we are more likely to dislike bitter tastes.

So folks, next time you come across Neem, Karela or Methi and not like it, be happy. It may not be entirely your fault. Blame it on nature or your genes for that matter. Now that you know the reason why children do not like vegetables, do not scold them if they do not eat vegetable dishes on their plates. Maybe you need to find a more creative way to encourage them to eat the greens.

usha@pokharel.net