Children’s Dietary Preferences Have a Significant Influence on Overall Health, says Brooklyn Pediatrician
New York, NY (PRWEB) March 28, 2014 -- Dr. Michael Gabriel of Gabriel Pediatrics, a Brooklyn pediatric care center, responds to an article published on March 18 by Healthcanal.com, which reports on the findings of a recent study that took a deep-seated look into children’s flavor preferences and the effects it can have on their health.
According to an article published on March 18th by Health Canal titled “Children’s Preferences for Sweeter, Saltier Tastes Are Linked to Each Other and Growth,” a new study, conducted by researchers at the Monell University of Pennsylvania, found that children who have a higher preference for added sweets also have a higher preference for salts.
Julie Mennella, PhD, a biopsychologiest at Monell, comments further on the study’s findings. “Our research shows that the liking of salty and sweet tastes reflects in part the biology of the child. Biology predisposes us to like and consume calorie-rich sweet foods and sodium-rich salty foods, and this is especially true for children,” says Mennella. “Growing children’s heightened preferences for sweet and salty tastes make them more vulnerable to the modern diet, which differs from the diet of our past, when salt and sugars were once rare and expensive commodities.”
Dr. Michael Gabriel of Gabriel Pediatrics, a Brooklyn pediatric care center, says that although children are predisposed to these flavor preferences, parents should take the initiative in ensuring their children are provided with the good, nutritional food choices. “It shouldn’t be a surprise that kids love sweetened and salty foods, they just go for what tastes good to them, regardless of the foods’ nutritional content,” Gabriel explains. “While biology plays a role, parents should be the ones who decide the well-being and future of their children. Our bodies did not evolve to ingest a high amount of sugars. We should always remember that.”
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Scott Darrohn, Gabriel Pediatrics, http://www.gabrielpediatrics.com/, +1 855-347-4228, [email protected]
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