For most foods, the relationship between preference and intake is not strong

It's often said, "Kids eat what they like," but when it comes to eating, "kids don't eat what they don't like," according to a new study by Penn State nutritionists and sensory scientists something" is more accurate and meaningful

According to study leader Kathryn Keller, associate professor in the School of Nutrition and Food Science, there is an important difference between the two

"In other words, our data suggest that less preferred foods cause children to avoid certain foods and keep them on the plate, rather than high preferences driving more intake," she said

Study co-author John Hayes, a professor of food science and director of the Center for Sensory Evaluation in the College of Agricultural Sciences, put it another way

"We've known for over 50 years that liking and intake are positively correlated, but this often leads to the false assumption that if it tastes better, you'll eat more, " he said

In the study, conducted in the Keller Children's Eating Behavior Laboratory in the School of Health and Human Development, children participated in two identical experimental sessions that included seven foods on a tray—chicken nuggets, ketchup, potato chips, grapes , Broccoli, Cherry Tomatoes And Cookies

Before eating, the children were asked to rate how much they liked each food on the following 5 scales - super poor, very poor, probably good - probably poor, very good and super good

A recent study published in the journal Appetite found that the relationship between preference and intake was not strong for most foods, the researchers reported

However, there was a strong correlation between consuming or not consuming foods that children said they didn't like

Keller points out that even at an early age, children's food choices can be influenced by their parents and peers

She said: "They'll notice what's on the table about what's good, and while that may not be consistent with what the kids are eating, they're absorbing all the food and that affects their perception of the food.

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"Some parents struggle with picky eaters," she said

Also involved in the study were Catherine Shehan, a former graduate student in the Department of Food Science and currently quality manager at Epic, Madison, Wisconsin; and Terry Cray, research coordinator and manager of Penn State's Children's Diet Laboratory Wenner; and Hayley Schlecht, a nutritional science major

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Do kids really eat whatever they like? Lab tests relationship between meal preference and intake