Another Study on Childhood Nutrition That Belongs in the “Duh” File
As a chiropractor who has been practicing a natural, non-invasive health approach for over 25 years, I find that plenty of “medical research discoveries” belong in my “Duh” file, if not my circular file! As a case in point, according to one recent finding by U.S. researchers, most preschool children develop a taste for salt, sugar and fat at home, and quickly learn which types of brand-name fast foods and sodas meet these preferences. Duh, you think? Where does any child learn what and how much to eat?…at home. How early do they learn it?…immediately. From the first decision a mother makes as to whether or not to breast feed her baby, to the quality and quantity of the baby food she provides, a mother (or equivalent caregiver) teaches the child about “taste.”
With fast foods so prevalent, and additives adulterating many products, and parents (or caregivers) often choosing convenience or “price value” over “food value,” is it any wonder that children, aged 3 to 5, prefer foods high in sugar, fat and salt? And, with kids watching TV commercials that make “bad food” look not only good, but “fun,” is it any wonder that preschool children exhibited an emerging awareness of brands of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages.
“Parents need to carefully consider the types of foods they give to young children at home and in restaurants,” said study co-author T. Bettina Cornwell, a professor of marketing at the University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business. Duh!