Partnership for a Healthier America is supporting parents and caregivers in offering more vegetable-forward, health-building food to children aged 5 and under.
Early childhood, from ages 0-5, is a unique window of opportunity to cultivate healthy taste preferences and dietary patterns. Unfortunately, nearly 90% of toddlers aged 12-23 months fall short of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ recommended amount of vegetables per day. Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) has a vision to change that and to raise a generation of veggie lovers.
Studies that PHA consolidated into a review paper suggest that through exposure “early and often,” kids can learn to love veggies and become adventurous and healthy eaters. Even though children are born with an innate affinity for sweetness and a distaste for bitterness, the good news is that children’s taste preferences can be shaped and modified by early dietary experiences. By offering our youngest eaters a wide variety of vegetables early and often, parents and caregivers can help foster the development of a broad taste palate and encourage a willingness to consume vegetables and diverse flavors during childhood.
The research consolidated by PHA also gives new urgency to move beyond the strategy to hide or mute vegetable flavors in baby and toddler food offerings, such as by mixing them with fruit puree and sweeteners. Research shows this strategy is not only unnecessary but counterproductive because it can reinforce a child’s innate sweet taste preferences and contribute to long-term adverse health consequences. Furthermore, an examination of the association between vegetable intake at 10.5 months of age and intake at age 6 found that children who ate vegetables less than once daily during late infancy had 2.4 times higher odds of eating vegetables less than once daily at age 6, compared with children who ate vegetables more frequently (2+ times per day) during late infancy.
Veggies early and often
Given all of the research around the benefits of veggies for our youngest eaters, PHA created its Veggies Early and Often nutrition education coalition in January 2021, which brings together early childhood educators, medical professionals, and food industry partners to raise awareness about the importance of vegetables for young children and supports caregivers in offering more vegetable-forward, health-building food to children aged 5 and under.
In a concerted effort to support families during the critical early stages of a child’s development, PHA, in collaboration with the Dr. Yum Project and a multidisciplinary team of experts in pediatrics, nutrition, and child development, has developed a series of free educational resources titled “Raising Adventurous Eaters with First Foods.” These guides, available in both English and Spanish, are designed to provide clinicians, caregivers, and community health advocates with stage-by-stage anticipatory guidance on feeding development from pregnancy through the first two years of life.
The comprehensive suite includes tailored handouts for key developmental stages: prenatal and postnatal, 1-4 months, 4-6 months, 6-9 months, 9-12 months, and 12-24 months. Each guide offers evidence-based tips and practical activities aimed at fostering healthy eating habits and developmental skills appropriate for each age group. Additionally, a supplemental guide on safe eating practices addresses the introduction of common allergens and strategies for serving a variety of foods safely. PHA recently updated the handouts to include an easy-to-use food allergen exposure chart to help assess food sensitivities.
At PHA, our mission is to advance equitable access to nutritious food for all in America to lead healthy lives, and that includes our youngest eaters. By working together with early childhood educators, medical professionals, and food industry partners, we can harness the power of Veggies Early & Often and ensure a bright future full of nutritious food choices for adventurous eaters.
