Health

Are natural foods really fresh and healthy?


A tendency to prefer natural foods in adults has been noted, the researchers say. However, the latest findings suggest that this food bias also exists in childhood and middle age.

Do children like natural foods?

Researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Yale studied the preferences of more than 374 adults and children in the United States when it comes to apples and orange juice and pinpointed where they came from.

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In one study, 137 children aged 6 to 10 years were shownthree apples. They were told one was grown on a farm, one was produced in a lab, and another was grown on plants inside the lab.

The research team used questionnaires and statistical models to assess children’s preferences for eating apples in terms of palatability, safety, and desire to eat. Adults participated in the same study to compare age groups.

The researchers found that both children and adults preferred farm-grown apples to lab-grown ones.

What is the reason for choosing natural foods?

Children tend to mention freshness, outside or sunlight when considering why they choose farm apples. Adults are more likely to refer to naturalness.

In a second study, 85 children aged five to seven years and a group of 64 adults were shown four different types of orange juice – one is described as being squeezed on a farm, one has no information on it, one has chemicals that are said to have been discarded and one is described as having added chemicals.

The researchers found that information about a juice’s naturalness had a significant effect on its ratings. Participants were attracted to a more natural choice based on perceived taste, safety, and desire to consume.

Both studies showed that age had little effect on the results, with children aged 5 to 10 years responding similarly.

The researchers say the findings show The belief that natural foods are good can be formed by the age of 5 – and possibly even younger.

At What Age Do Food Interests Start?

Dr Matti Wilks, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Philosophy, Psychology and Linguistics, said: “Overall, we provide evidence that, at least in the United States, Our tendency to like natural foods has been around since childhood. This study provides a first step towards understanding how these preferences are formed, including whether they are socially learned and what drives the propensity to prefer natural things. our. “

References:

1. Children also love natural foods – (http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0001387)

Source: Eurekalert



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