Learning to Eat: How Food Preferences and Eating Habits are Formed Early in Life

How do we “learn” what kind of food we like? Like any other habit, is there a way for us to shape this behavior in children, to help shift them towards healthier, better preferences? 

The first two years of life are a crucial window of opportunity for this: at around 6 months, introducing age-appropriate complementary foods may help infants explore different tastes and textures––which in turn, impacts many aspects of the child’s development. For instance, did you know that learning to accept lumpy and textured foods at this age, supports oral motor development, while also playing a role in language development? 

These and many more can be learned by watching this video on introducing new tastes and textures that set the stage for lifelong healthy habits.