• Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed

Maryann Jacobsen

Independent Author & Family Nutrition Expert

  • Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy

Expert Interview: Lucy Cooke, PhD

January 20, 2012

Tweet
Pin
Share101
Yum
Email
Share
101 Shares

This is Part 4 in a collection of posts written in preparation for my book Fearless Feeding

During the process of writing Fearless Feeding, I’m going through an immense amount of research. I’ve been interviewing researchers and want to bring some of their wisdom and perspective to you. Today we have Dr. Lucy Cooke, Senior Research Associate at UCL Department of Epidemiology and Public Health in London. Her expertise includes the development of children’s food preferences and eating habits and childhood obesity. She has a Ph.D. in Psychology and MSc in Health Psychology from the University College London and has published numerous research articles in various peer-reviewed journals.

1. What is the one thing you want parents to know (about feeding/research) that you don’t think they know now?

That what they themselves eat is the strongest predictor of what their child will eat. If a parent doesn’t like or eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, then their child is unlikely to do so.

2. In your professional opinion, what is the biggest feeding mistake parents make with their children?

There are a few, but one important thing is the use of food as a comfort, as entertainment or as a reward. A child who is given food for these sorts of reasons may learn to associate food with those feelings so that in future they will seek food when they are bored or sad, rather than just when they are hungry.

3. Research shows that taste exposure is beneficial but pressuring kids to eat isn’t good either. How can parents get kids to taste food without it being a negative experience?

Only ever offer very small pieces of a food, to begin with, and give lots of praise for tasting. If parents try the food at the same time, that often encourages their child to do likewise. If all else fails offer a small non-food reward…a sticker, maybe…if the child tastes the food.

4. What does the research say about rewards for trying new foods?

If a child will not taste a food, then it appears that offering a small non-food reward is beneficial in the short and long term in terms of increasing both liking and intake. However, using foods as a reward (e.g. “If you eat your peas, you can have some ice cream”) can have unintended results in that children may dislike peas more and grown to like ice cream even more.

5. Exposing babies and toddlers to a variety of tastes appears to be important for future food acceptance. Any advice on how parents can do this?

When starting a baby on solid foods, giving them a variety of vegetables as first foods seems to be beneficial and best of all, giving something different every day. It’s important to realize that for a very young baby all tastes are unfamiliar and apparently negative facial expressions in response to new foods may indicate surprise rather than dislike. Keep offering lots of different foods in small amounts and babies will become accustomed to a variety of different tastes.

6. Anything else you want to add about your research? Something to say to parents?

If a child appears to dislike a food today, it does not mean they won’t like it tomorrow. Keep trying!

Posts Included in the Series:
1. Announcing the Fearless Feeding Movement
2. The Only Guarantee I Can Make About Your Child’s Eating
3. Did You Make This Feeding Mistake the First 2 Years?
4. Expert Interview: Lucy Cooke, Ph.D.
5. The Feeding Strategy Every Parent Needs in Their Toolbox [Next]
6. Fearless Feeding Release Party!
7. The (No) Clean Plate Mom Comes Clean
8. Fearless Feeding 5 Years Later [Podcast]

It’s here! The most ambitious feeding book of our time: Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School

 

Related Posts

  • The #1 Feeding Mistake Parents Make

    I get ready to interview one of my heroes, Ellyn Satter, internationally recognized authority on…

  • 8 Feeding Myths Every Parent Should Know About

    I wrote a post for WebMD about nutrition myths and it got me thinking about…

  • The Feeding Strategy Every Parent Needs in Their Toolbox

    This is Part 5 in a collection of posts written in preparation for my book…

Tweet
Pin
Share101
Yum
Email
Share
101 Shares

Categories: Fearless Feeding Series, Feeding School-Age Kids, Feeding Toddlers & Preschoolers 2 Comments

« Did You Make This Feeding Mistake the First 2 Years?
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup [Recipe] »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, I’m Maryann…

Hi, I’m a registered dietitian who focuses on developmental stages. Here, you won’t get one-size-fits-all advice. Instead, you’ll get information based on your (and your family’s) age and stage. Make your choice between family and midlife-focused newsletters below and subscribe. Find out more!

Recent Posts

  • Yes, Every Midlife Women Should Take a Multivitamin (And Here’s Why)
  • 10 Signs Intermittent Fasting Doesn’t Live Up to the Hype
  • What do the Latest Vitamin D Studies Really Tell Us?
  • 3 Breathing Exercises That Will Change Your Life with Nick Heath [Podcast]
  • 6 Dietary Supplements Most Teenagers Need

Random Posts

  • 5 Ways to Keep Kids Active and Off Their Screens During the Pandemic5 Ways to Keep Kids Active and Off Their Screens During the Pandemic
  • 3 Reasons Dieting is Bad For Moms (and what to do Instead)3 Reasons Dieting is Bad For Moms (and what to do Instead)

Categories

Get the books!

The Alliance of Independent Authors - Author Member

Join the Newsletter

Sign up for Maryann’s E-mail Newsletter and get her ebook The Landmines of a Healthy Relationship with Food for FREE. Subscribe now!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list. You're not done. Check your email to confirm your address. After you do that, you'll receive a link for the free e-book.

.

Copyright © 2023 — Maryann Jacobsen • All rights reserved • Powered by Femme Flora. Designed & Developed by BinaryTurf Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.OK Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT