Your expressions while you eat might influence which foods your child tastes

Say you hate broccoli, but really want your child to eat a wide range of vegetables – you might be telling them how delicious it is, but your face and body language might be saying different. You can't kid a kidder when it comes to liking food! Looking at people around us to understand what we should do is known as 'social referencing', and when it comes to trying food, your child will be watching you closely!'  

In a study of both children and adults, people were more likely to try a food they already ‘dislike’ when they were shown an image of a pleasant face alongside that food – and this was particularly true of the youngest children in the study, aged five years old. 

It’s worth remembering that, when offered ‘liked’ foods alongside a disgusted face, all the participants showed less desire to eat the food, including the adults – although the biggest impact was again seen in the children aged five.^[1] 

Eating together can be a great way to encourage your child to try a variety of foods. Not by telling them to take a mouthful or have one more bite, but by them seeing people eating and enjoying a variety of food.  

The tricky bit can be if there is a food you really don’t like yourself – when you’re eating together as family, try to stay neutral about foods you’re not so keen on, if you can!  

Reference: 

[1] Barthomeuf, L., Droit-Volet, S., & Rousset, S. (2012). ‘How emotions expressed by adults' faces affect the desire to eat liked and disliked foods in children compared to adults’. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 30(2), 253-266.