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1.
Healthy Greens
Fresh herbs are not only delicious and make a pretty decoration on the plate ...read more
2.
No nutrients in white flour?
Are the lighter varieties lacking germ and bran totally worthless or even harmful? ...read more
3.
Bitterness for your figure
While one person makes a face and puts the fork down ...read more
4.
Time for a barbecue
Men make fire, women make salad ...read more
5.
Dietary fibre
Why is dietary fibre so important? ...read more
6.
Good Night for the Figure
Wouldn’t it be nice to go to bed with all those curves ...read more
7.
Not without my breakfast
Get out of bed, take a shower and go. Breakfast? No, thanks! Busy people ...read more
8.
Always at the ready: Drinking bottle
Pure fashion or necessity? ...read more
9.
Downsizing
Scale down slowly ­  ...read more
10.
On the tenth time it suddenly tastes good
Steamed fish? Yuck! Yoghurt? I don’t like it ...read more

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NUTRITION
Children and healthy food
Photography: CMA
On the tenth time it suddenly tastes good
Steamed fish? Yuck! Yoghurt? I don’t like it! Brussels sprouts? No, thanks!


Neophobia, the fear of new things and experiences, is pronounced in children. They only like what they know. According to the motto of “no experiments” they state that their favourite food is what is served to them most often anyway. Even their mother’s culinary preferences during pregnancy and nursing shape the eating habits of children. If their mother loves garlic or chilli peppers, kids later on like to eat heavily seasoned food.

It’s not just children and adolescents who refuse new, unfamiliar food or dishes. This behaviour is part of our genetic makeup. Mistrust protected our early ancestors from unpleasant surprises. But what can you do if your kids always eat the same things? Don’t preach to them. It’s better to rely on the “mere exposure effect”. Researchers discovered that children are willing to try something new only after it has been offered to them about ten times.

So, mums and dads, don’t give up and try offering small samples again and again. Sometime down the road your kids will venture a taste and eat along with gusto.


Text: Elisabeth Lange