A mother’s own eating habits—and whether she views her child as a picky eater—has the most significant impact on whether her child consumes enough fruits and vegetables.
“What and how mothers eat is the most direct influence on what toddlers eat,” says Mildred Horodynski, professor of nursing at Michigan State University.
“Health professionals need to consider this when developing strategies to increase a child’s consumption of healthy foods. Diets low in fruit and vegetables even at young ages pose increased risks for chronic diseases later in life.”
Horodynski looked at nearly 400 low-income women (black and non-Hispanic white) with children ages 1 to 3 enrolled in Early Head Start programs and found that toddlers were less likely to consume fruits and vegetables four or more times a week if their mothers did not consume that amount or if their mothers viewed their children as picky eaters.
The research is reported in the journal Public Health Nursing.
When mothers viewed their children as picky eaters—unwilling to try unfamiliar foods—a decrease also was seen in the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed.
