The development of childhood dietary preferences and their implications for later adult health

Summary The food fed to infants and young children not only determines their health in childhood but also predicts the foods that they eat in later life. Because adult dietary preferences are partially formed in childhood, the childhood diet inevitably contributes to the long‐term health of the individual. We are all aware of preferences that have endured since childhood, and that our dietary habits only change if we have reason to adapt them, perhaps for a healthier lifestyle. Adopting a healthy diet in adulthood is likely to be considerably easier if we have developed healthy food preferences during our childhood. Current information shows that toddlers are fed diets high in fat, sugar and salt and that mothers are confused about what toddlers should be eating. A healthy diet for toddlers combines foods from all the five food groups. This combination involves mixing high‐calorie and low‐calorie foods. Healthy food options should be introduced from weaning, and offered repeatedly through the infant and toddler years. Furthermore, the whole family should model a healthy eating lifestyle in order to foster the acceptance of foods that constitute a well‐balanced diet.