Can involving children in food preparation help reduce picky eating?
Can involving children in food preparation help reduce picky eating?
This study examined whether young children’s involvement in meal preparation, meal planning, and grocery shopping was associated with food fussiness and found that greater involvement, especially in meal preparation and grocery shopping, was linked to lower levels of picky eating behaviours.
What We Did and Why We Did It
We analyzed survey data from 62 children (18 months to 5.9 years old) participating in the Guelph Family Health Study pilot study. Parents completed questionnaires about their child’s involvement in food-related activities, including grocery shopping, meal preparation, and meal planning. Parents also reported on their child’s food fussiness, such as refusing new foods or being difficult to please at meals. Researchers examined whether children’s involvement in food activities was associated with levels of food fussiness while accounting for factors such as child age, sex, and household income.
Food fussiness, or picky eating, is common among young children and may lead to children eating a less varied diet with fewer nutrient-rich foods. Previous research suggests that involving children in food-related activities may improve their food preferences and eating behaviours, but less was known about how different types of involvement, such as cooking and grocery shopping, relate to food fussiness in young children. Understanding strategies that may encourage positive eating behaviours can help families support healthy eating habits early in life.
What We Found
What We Can Learn From This
Children who were more involved in food-related activities had lower levels of food fussiness. Overall food involvement was associated with less picky eating, and children who helped with meal preparation or grocery shopping had fewer food fussiness behaviours. Meal preparation showed the strongest association, suggesting that hands-on experiences with food may help children become more comfortable with different foods. However, involvement in meal planning was not significantly related to food fussiness.
Encouraging children to participate in food activities may be a helpful strategy for supporting positive eating behaviours. Families can involve young children by giving them age-appropriate tasks, such as washing fruits and vegetables, stirring ingredients, choosing foods at the grocery store, or helping plan simple meals. Exposure to foods through preparation and shopping may help children become more familiar with new foods and feel more comfortable trying them.
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