Vegetable Acceptance Research Articles

The Gummy Flavor Game Protocol: Gamifying Vegetable Flavor Exposure to Increase Liking

ObjectivesVegetable consumption in the U.S. population is well below recommendations, which relates to poorer health outcomes. Both adults and children report that unpleasant flavor is a common reason for avoiding vegetables. This flavor problem, however, should be manageable, as myriad studies indicate that repeated exposure to flavors, even unpleasant vegetable flavors, improves acceptability. Yet, increasing exposure to vegetables is difficult, as vegetables are often less convenient to consume and less available than other foods. We propose to address this barrier to repeated exposure through use of a game, challenging players to identify flavors in vegetable flavored gummy candies.MethodsThis pilot project will test the efficacy of our game in college students. Baseline testing will collect sensory ratings (bitterness, sweetness, and disliking/liking) of pureed and chopped target (exposed in game) and non-target (not exposed in game) vegetables. Baseline testing will also ask about habitual intake and attitudes toward fruits and vegetables. Participants will then complete a 2-week game phase, where they will play the game once per day, with sensory evaluation of the pureed/chopped vegetables repeated at the beginning, middle, and end of the game phase. Participants will be randomly assigned to a control group (non-vegetable flavors) or a vegetable group (vegetable flavors).ResultsAt the end of the experiment, we will have data on how liking and sensation of vegetables change after 2 weeks of playing the game, and whether baseline or changes in sensory ratings are influenced by dietary intake of and attitudes towards fruits and vegetables. We expect the vegetable group to show improved sensory ratings for the target vegetables, with lesser/no changes in ratings for the non-target vegetables. Additionally, we expect to see no or minimal changes in any sensory ratings for the control group.ConclusionsThis work will test an innovative approach to improve vegetable acceptance. As a result, we will have initial data on whether this approach might be useful for helping people improve their diets. Future work will build on this, using the game in tandem with approaches to improve access to vegetables and preparation skills.Funding SourcesPurdue University College of Health and Human Sciences

Appropriate Media for Noodles to Increase Food Consumption in School-Age Children

Lack of mineral and vitamin intake, especially from fruit and vegetable consumption at school age, can increase the risk of illness, impaired growth and development, and impaired adaptation to environmental hazards. This study aims to analyze the effect of educational media with processed noodles on the acceptance and consumption of vegetables and fruit in elementary school children. This type of research is quasi-experimental, with a pre and post design approach. Data collection techniques were carried out using a Comstock visual checklist sheet and a recall form to see vegetable and fruit consumption. The results show that using educational media with processed noodles can increase the acceptance of fruit and vegetable consumption in school-age children. The composition of nutrients in each processed vegetable and fruit noodle is quite complete and balanced.

Application of a salt substitute in bitter taste suppression and toward better acceptance of cruciferous vegetables in diet

The addition of table salt has been reported to enable better acceptance when consuming the least preferred vegetables belonging to the Cruciferae family. Considering the adverse effect of excessive table salt intake on incidence of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, it is essential to explore an alternative healthier option for better acceptance and to encourage consumption of these vegetables. In this study, 261 adult participants were evaluated for their preferences toward basic tastes and food as well as sensory evaluation of a meal prepared from cruciferous vegetables with the addition of two different salts, sodium chloride and salt substitute containing a blend of potassium and sodium salts. A general questionnaire was used to assess taste and food preferences, while the Cruciferous Vegetable Food Frequency Questionnaire (CVFFQ) was used for vegetable intake assessment. The Labeled Magnitude Scale (LMS), Just About Right (JAR) scale, and several hedonic scales were used to determine taster status and sensory evaluation. The results show that a low concentration of the salt substitute did not impact bitterness suppression but did result in higher preference of the cruciferous vegetable meal. Although, subjects self-reported to have salty taste preferences were more sensitive to bitter taste, they did not perceive samples as less salty and less acceptable than subjects with lower sensitivity. The results show the necessity for further examination of the effectiveness of different concentrations of the assessed salt substitute in suppressing perceived bitterness of cruciferous vegetables and regarding their overall acceptance for inclusion in diets.

The Baby’s First Bites RCT: Evaluating a Vegetable-Exposure and a Sensitive-Feeding Intervention in Terms of Child Health Outcomes and Maternal Feeding Behavior During Toddlerhood

BackgroundParenting interventions during the first years of life on what and/or how to feed infants during complementary feeding can promote healthy eating habits. ObjectivesAn intervention promoting repeated exposure to a variety of vegetables [repeated vegetable exposure (RVE); what] and an intervention promoting responding sensitively to child signals during mealtime [video-feedback intervention to promote positive parenting–feeding infants (VIPP-FI); how] were compared, separately and combined (COMBI), with an attention control condition (AC). Primary outcomes were vegetable consumption and self-regulation of energy intake; secondary outcomes were child anthropometrics and maternal feeding practices (sensitive feeding, pressure to eat). MethodsOur 4-arm randomized controlled trial included 246 first-time Dutch mothers and their infants. Interventions started when infants were 4–6 mo old and ended at age 16 mo. The present study evaluated effects at 18 (t18) and 24 (t24) mo of age. Vegetable acceptance was assessed using three 24-h dietary recalls, self-regulation of energy intake by an eating-in-the-absence-of-hunger experiment and mother-report, and maternal feeding behavior by observation and mother-report. ResultsLinear mixed model and ANOVA analyses revealed no follow-up group differences regarding child vegetable intake or self-regulatory behavior. The proportion of children with overweight was significantly lower in the COMBI group, compared with the VIPP-FI group at t18 (2% compared with 16%), and with the AC group at t24 (7% compared with 20%), although this finding needs to be interpreted cautiously due to the small number of infants with overweight and nonsignificant effects on the continuous BMI z-score measure (P values: 0.29–0.82). Finally, more sensitive feeding behavior and less pressure to eat was found in the VIPP-FI and COMBI groups, compared with the RVE and AC groups, mostly at t18 (significant effect sizes: d = 0.23–0.64). ConclusionsInterventions were not effective in increasing vegetable intake or self-regulation of energy intake. Future research might usefully focus on risk groups such as families who already experience problems around feeding.This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03348176.

A Mobile App to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Acceptance Among Finnish and Polish Preschoolers: Randomized Trial.

BackgroundEarly childhood education and care (ECEC) centers are ideal venues for food education. As smartphones and tablets are becoming increasingly popular in ECEC centers, technology can be used to deliver such pedagogical content. Evidence suggests that video games can affect fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption among 9- to 12-year-old children, but studies among preschoolers are scarce.ObjectiveThis paper describes the development of the Mole’s Veggie Adventures app and its effectiveness in increasing FV acceptance among Finnish and Polish preschoolers aged 3 to 6 years.MethodsA multiprofessional team created an app to be used in ECEC centers in groups of 3 to 10 children. The app aimed to increase vegetable acceptance, and it was built using elements that support the development of self-regulation and social skills. Altogether, 7 Finnish and 4 Polish ECEC centers participated in the study. Before randomization, parents reported background factors and their children’s willingness to taste different FVs. The ECEC professionals in the intervention arm were instructed to use the app at least once a week during the 3- to 4-week intervention period. The main outcomes in this unblinded, cluster-randomized study were FV acceptance and relative FV acceptance. The first was calculated as a sum variable describing the children’s willingness to taste 25 different FVs, the second as FV acceptance divided by the number of FVs served. We used analysis of covariance to compare the FV acceptance and relative FV acceptance scores between the intervention and control groups at follow-up.ResultsA total of 221 children were included in the analysis. At follow-up, the intervention group (115/221, 52%) had higher FV acceptance scores (baseline adjusted difference of mean 7.22; 95% CI 1.41-13.03) than the control group (106/221, 48%). The intervention effect was parallel for relative FV acceptance scores (baseline adjusted difference of mean 0.28; 95% CI 0.05-0.52).ConclusionsThe Mole’s Veggie Adventures app has the potential to increase FV acceptance among preschoolers and can be a valuable tool in supporting food education in ECEC centers. Furthermore, the app can be feasibly incorporated into preschool routines in countries with different educational environments.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT05173311; https://tinyurl.com/4vfbh283

Development and Proof-of-Concept Evaluation of a Sensory Science-Based Model for Product Development of Vegetable-Based Products for Children.

Children’s vegetable intake is too low, and a key barrier to the inadequate intake is low acceptance. To facilitate successful development of new vegetable-based products for children, a sensory science approach to product development has been taken. A new theoretical model is proposed, the CAMPOV model: Children’s Acceptance Model for Product development of Vegetables. The model is informed by scientific literature and considers biological, psychological, and situational, and intrinsic and extrinsic product factors relevant to children’s acceptance of vegetables, with a focus on modifiable factors at the product level. Simultaneously, 14 new vegetable-based product concepts for children were developed and evaluated through focus groups with 5–8-year-olds (n = 36) as a proof-of-concept evaluation of the model. Children had high interest in six of the concepts. Factors identified from the literature that positively associated with the children’s interest in the concepts included bright colours, bite-sized pieces, good taste, fun eating experience, and familiarity. The CAMPOV model and proof-of-concept evaluation results can guide further sensory and consumer research to increase children’s acceptance of food products containing vegetables, which will in turn provide further insights into the validity of the model. The food industry can use the model as a framework for development of new products for children with high sensory appeal.

Consumer Acceptance and Market Potential of Iodine-Biofortified Fruit and Vegetables in Germany.

Biofortification of food crops with iodine is a novel approach to preventing iodine deficiency in humans. The present study analyses the consumer target groups and the market potential of iodine-biofortified fruit and vegetables in Germany. For this purpose, an online survey of 1016 German fruit and vegetable consumers was conducted to investigate the acceptance of different product categories as well as relevant criteria for the market launch. The results show that iodine-biofortified fruit and vegetables are particularly attractive to consumers who purchase at farmers’ markets, organic food shops, and farm stores. Out of this group, 39% of consumers rate such iodine-rich foods as very appealing. They attach importance to food that naturally contains iodine and prefer produce from integrated domestic cultivation. With their focus on sustainability and naturalness, this group of consumers clearly differs from typical users of dietary supplements, who are primarily concerned with health benefits. However, overall about 85% of respondents would prefer biofortified fruits and vegetables to supplements to improve their iodine supply. The greatest market potential for iodine-biofortified fruit and vegetables is to be expected in supermarkets, as this is the preferred food shopping location for most consumers. A total of 28% of those who buy here rate the biofortified foods presented as very appealing. Nevertheless, a successful market launch requires that the benefits of the new products are communicated according to the potential consumer group needs.

VeggieSense: A non-taste multisensory exposure technique for increasing vegetable acceptance in young children

Vegetable consumption falls well below recommended levels for children in the UK. Previous research has found that repeated non-taste sensory exposure over the course of several days increases young children's willingness to touch and taste vegetables. The current study examined the impact of a one-off multisensory non-taste exposure intervention that took place on a single day on children's willingness to taste and intake of the exposed vegetables. Children (N = 110) aged 3- to 4-years-old were assigned to one of three intervention groups or to a control group. Children in all groups participated individually in a single activity session delivered in their nursery. Children in the intervention conditions took part in fun activities that provided either (a) visual exposure, (b) smell and visual exposure, or (c) smell, touch and visual exposure to six raw and prepared vegetables. Children in the control group engaged in a visual exposure activity with non-food items. After the exposure activities, all children were offered the prepared vegetables to eat; their willingness to taste and intake of the vegetables were measured. Results confirmed previous findings of sensory exposure activities increasing children's willingness to taste and intake of vegetables and revealed linear trends in both measures of acceptance with the number of senses engaged; children who took part in smell, touch and visual activities showed the highest level of acceptance. Findings suggest that multisensory exposures are effective in increasing consumption of vegetables in young children and that the effect of sensory exposure to healthy foods may be cumulative, with the more senses engaged prior to offering a food, the better.

Treatment of Food Selectivity in an Adult With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Food selectivity is common among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Left untreated, food selectivity may continue into adulthood, leading to social and nutritional deficits. Although effective treatments have been identified for young children and the school-aged population, these treatments may not be feasible with adults. As such, effective treatments for adults with ASD need to be identified. In this study, the participant was a 26-year-old male with ASD and a history of food selectivity. We compared two treatments that used differential reinforcement of alternative behaviors-one using positive reinforcement and the other negative reinforcement-to increase acceptance of novel fruits and vegetables. Both treatments resulted in increases in the acceptance of grapes and red bell peppers. When given the choice, the participant preferred the positive reinforcement contingency. Additionally, his food acceptance occurred in the presence of novel foods (e.g., carrots and lettuce) and settings. This study represents one of the only studies examining the treatment of food selectivity in adults with ASD.

VeggieSense: A non-taste multisensory exposure technique for increasing vegetable acceptance in young children.

VeggieSense: A non-taste multisensory exposure technique for increasing vegetable acceptance in young children.

Features of the purchase, acceptance, short-term storage and sale of fresh fruits and vegetables in retail outlets

The article establishes that the main technological processes for the promotion of fresh fruits and vegetables in retail outlets have their own specific features. In comparison with the wholesale trade, especially significant differences are noted in the short-term storage of fruit and vegetable products in the back rooms and trading floors of retail trade enterprises, which is due to the complexity of creating and maintaining an optimal temperature and humidity regime.

Ketogenic diet as an advanced option for the management of pediatric obesity.

The Duke Healthy Lifestyles Program (HL), established in 2006, has treated over 15,000 pediatric patients with obesity. A subset of patients with obesity do not respond to dietary and lifestyle changes. Development of the Staged Transitional Eating Plan (STEP) in 2012 provided a ketogenic advanced dietary option for these specific patients. The goal of STEP is to facilitate weight loss, while assuring adequacy and the promotion of health through the abundant inclusion of vegetables, fatty fish, nuts, olive oil, and other foods consistent with the Mediterranean Diet. STEP is a three-phase eating plan, each with a defined carbohydrate limit. STEP is ideal for patients eager to try a low carbohydrate diet, those with good vegetable acceptance, and those with families who are able to participate in the same eating plan as them. STEP, the HL version of low carbohydrate high fat eating, is a safe dietary intervention for a carefully selected subset of pediatric patients with obesity who are trying to lose weight.

Wow! They really like celeriac! Kindergarten teachers' experiences of an intervention to increase 1-year-olds’ acceptance of vegetables

Exposure to varied foods in early life is important for short- and long-term health and development. Strategically introducing toddlers to new vegetables is not a common practice in Norwegian kindergartens. Therefore, we developed, conducted, and evaluated a web-based cluster randomised kindergarten intervention, Pre-schoolers’ Food Courage 2.0. The purpose of the current qualitative study was to explore kindergarten teachers' experience of implementing this intervention and what they thought facilitated the positive impact of the intervention reported in the quantitative evaluation. Ten individual telephonic interviews with kindergarten teachers who took part in the intervention study were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis. Five main themes were identified: 1) One-year-olds love food and renewal of the menus was inspiring; 2) One-year-olds are surprisingly willing to try and accept novel foods; 3) Novel food at meals stimulate social interaction; and 4) The Sapere method is a fun and explorative activity for 1-year-olds. These four themes were the features perceived as the effective elements of the intervention by the kindergarten teachers. The fifth main theme was: 5) Sustained impact on kindergarten teachers’ practices and beliefs. The kindergarten teachers found the intervention easy to implement, and they were surprised by the foods 1-year-olds like and how the intervention increased their food acceptance. This age window of opportunity seems to be underused in kindergartens. By using the strategies described in the intervention, kindergarten staff effectively took advantage of this opportunity and consequently, child and kindergarten staff behaviour in relation to food was enhanced. Interventions targeting healthy feeding practices may potentially have a long-term public health impact by increasing food variety and vegetable intake in toddlers. Trial registrationISRCTN98064772.

Utilising an integrated approach to developing liking for and consumption of vegetables in children.

Children eat too few vegetables and this is attributed to disliked flavours and texture as well as low energy density. Vegetables confer selective health benefits over other foods and so children are encouraged to eat them. Parents and caregivers face a challenge in incorporating vegetables into their child's habitual diet. However, liking and intake may be increased through different forms of learning. Children learn about vegetables across development from exposure to some vegetable flavours in utero, through breastmilk, complementary feeding and transitioning to family diets. Infants aged between 5 and 7 m are most amenable to accepting vegetables. However, a range of biological, social, environmental and individual factors may act independently and in tandem to reduce the appeal of eating vegetables. By applying aspects of learning theory, including social learning, liking and intake of vegetables can be increased. We propose taking an integrated and individualised approach to child feeding in order to achieve optimal learning in the early years. Simple techniques such as repeated exposure, modelling, social praise and creating social norms for eating vegetables can contribute to positive feeding experiences which in turn, contributes to increased acceptance of vegetables. However, there is a mismatch between experimental studies and the ways that children eat vegetables in real world settings. Therefore, current knowledge of the best strategies to increase vegetable liking and intake gained from experimental studies must be adapted and integrated for application to home and care settings, while responding to individual differences.

A quasi-experimental intervention protocol to characterize the factors that influence the acceptance of new foods by infants: mothers\u2019 diet and weaning method. Dastatuz project

BackgroundChildren usually refuse to eat and taste fruits and vegetables; and turning unhealthy eating habits around is an important social challenge in industrialized countries. The Dastatuz project aims to study children food neophobia and to enhance fruit and vegetable acceptance.MethodsA quasi-experimental, multicentre, controlled and prospective intervention study is proposed, in which early factors influencing new food acceptance will be studied. Mothers in the third trimester of pregnancy (n = 144) and their infants will be the study population. Experimental groups will be established based on mothers´ fruit and vegetable intake (standard or high intake) and weaning method (baby lead weaning vs spoon feeding). The project will assess the possible impact of maternal diet and complementary feeding on infants eating behaviour until 18 months of age. Outcome measures will comprise maternal diet and psychological features during pregnancy and breast-feeding (validated questionnaires). Compositional and physicochemical analysis of milk during breastfeeding will also be carried out. During weaning, until 18 months of age, children’s diet will be assessed with 24 h recalls and acceptance of new fruits and vegetables will be studied using video recording.DiscussionIf the intervention is effective, this research work would have a high potential to be transferred to future public health programs or nutrition guidelines, as a feasible solution to achieve a higher intake of fruits and vegetables among children.Trial registrationThis study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier: NCT04262102. Registration date: February 10, 2020 - Retrospectively registered.

Optimising Repeated Exposure: Determining Optimal Exposure Frequency for Introducing a Novel Vegetable among Children.

Fruit and vegetables are important components of a healthy diet, but unfortunately many children are not consuming enough to meet the recommendations. Therefore, it is crucial to develop strategies towards increasing the acceptance of this food group. This study aims to investigate the effect of different repeated exposure frequencies on fruit and vegetable acceptance using a novel vegetable, daikon, among 3–6-year-old children. One hundred and fifty-nine children participated in this study. Eight kindergarten teams were assigned to one of the following groups: Three different intervention groups with varying exposure frequencies, but all receiving seven exposures: Twice a week (n = 47), once a week (n = 32) and once every second week (n = 30), and a control group (n = 50). Liking and familiarity of daikon and other vegetables (cucumber, celery, celeriac, broccoli, cauliflower and beetroot) were assessed at baseline, post-intervention and two follow up sessions (3 and 6 months) to test for potential generalisation effects and observe the longevity of the obtained effects. Intake of daikon was measured at all exposures and test sessions. Results showed significant increases (p ≤ 0.05) in liking and intake of daikon for all three frequencies and the control group. Over the exposures, intake of daikon increased until the 4th exposure for all the groups, where a plateau was reached. No systematic generalisation effects were found. Repeated exposure was a successful approach to increase liking and intake of a novel vegetable with all exposure frequencies to be effective, and no particular exposure frequency can be recommended. Even the few exposures the control group received were found to be sufficient to improve intake and liking over 6 months (p ≤ 0.05), indicating that exposures to low quantities of an unfamiliar vegetable may be sufficient.

Cauliflower Power Storybooks and Cruciferous Vegetable Consumption in Preschool Children

The preschool years (ages 3–5 years) are a critical period for healthy habit formation, when the acceptance of new foods, especially vegetables, is crucial to the development of healthy dietary patterns.1 The World Health Organization highlights the preschool environment as an optimal setting for obesity prevention programs.2 Programs designed to improve children's vegetable acceptance may shape the early development of dietary patterns that have been shown to protect against the development of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic conditions in adolescence and adulthood.

The taste of biodiversity: science and sensory education with different varieties of a vegetable to promote acceptance among primary school children.

To determine the impact of an educational programme for primary schools that explored the biodiversity of tomato, by promoting science and sensory education with three distinct varieties of it, in the acceptance of vegetables. A randomised controlled study in which children were exposed to the educational programme (intervention group) or remained in the class, as usual (control group). The educational programme consisted of three sessions where children explained the observed differences between the three varieties of tomato and individual perceptions of their flavours based on sensory-based food education and by planning and implementing experiments to explain those differences. We tested the effects on both children's willingness to try and their liking for tomato, and for lettuce and cabbage to study the carry-over effect, compared with the control group (Mann-Whitney U test; P < 0·05). The study took place in public primary schools in Porto, Portugal. Children in the third grade (8-13-year-old children) (n 136) were randomly assigned to intervention or control group. Children in the intervention group reported significant increases in their willingness to try and liking for tomato compared to the control group (P < 0·05), but not for lettuce and cabbage (P > 0·05). These results highlight the potential for fostering children's acceptance of a vegetable by exploring biodiversity through science education. Further work may clarify the effects of exploring biodiversity on the consumption of vegetables and establish whether the results are stable over time and replicable across contexts and populations.

Can vegetable e-books influence a child’s acceptance of vegetables? Preliminary findings from the See & Eat study

Can vegetable e-books influence a child’s acceptance of vegetables? Preliminary findings from the See & Eat study

The effects of taste sensitivity and repeated taste exposure on children's intake and liking of turnip (Brassica rapa subsp. rapa); a bitter Brassica vegetable

Low consumption of vegetables in children is a concern around the world, hence approaches aimed at increasing intake are highly relevant. Previous studies have shown that repeated taste exposure is an effective strategy to increase vegetable acceptance. However, few studies have examined the effect of repeated taste exposure on children varying in bitter taste sensitivity. This study investigated the influence of taste genotypes and phenotypes on the effects of repeated taste exposure to a Brassica vegetable. 172 preschool children aged 3–5 years were recruited into this study. Turnip was selected as the target vegetable and parents completed a questionnaire to ensure unfamiliarity. During the intervention, children were exposed to steamed-pureed turnip for 10 days (once/day). Intake and liking were measured before, during and after the intervention, and a follow-up was done 3 months post-intervention. Taste genotypes (TAS2R38 and gustin (CA6) genotypes) and taste phenotypes (PROP taster status and fungiform papillae density) were determined. There was a significant effect of exposure shown by significant increases in intake (p < 0.001) and liking (p = 0.008) post-intervention; however, there were no significant effects of taste genotypes or phenotypes on intake and liking. In summary, repeated taste exposure is confirmed to be a good strategy to increase vegetable acceptance in children, regardless of bitter taste sensitivity.