The effects of weaning with either fruits or vegetables at the age of 4–6 months on vegetable and fruit acceptance at 12 and 23 months

Abstract

The low vegetable intake in children is probably due to the notion that vegetables are disliked. Because most taste preferences are formed during the first year of life, we started an intervention among weaning infants ( n = 101) to increase the liking for vegetables. We expected that starting weaning with exclusively vegetable purees, would increase the infants’ preferences for vegetables. At 4–6 months of age, one group was weaned with only vegetables, the other group with only fruit for 18 consecutive days. On day 19, the vegetable group received their first fruit (apple) and the fruit group their first vegetable (green beans). At 12 ( n = 86) and 23 ( n = 81) months of age the children’s consumption was measured in our laboratory and reported by their parents using a 3-day food diary for home intake. After the 19-day intervention, green beans intake was significantly higher in the vegetable group than in the fruit group. At 12 and 23 months of age apple and green beans intake did not differ significantly between the groups in the lab. However, home intake of vegetables at 12 months of age was significantly higher in the vegetable group than in the fruit group, but not at 23 months of age. These findings suggest that starting weaning with vegetables results in a higher vegetable consumption to at least 12 months of age.