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Should You Introduce Vegetables Before Fruit When Starting Solid Foods?
January 2023
Author:
Jennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN
Coauthors:
Hyemyung Kim, RD, CDN, CNSC, CLC
About Kids Eat in Color
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Author:
Jennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN
Coauthors:
Hyemyung Kim, RD, CDN, CNSC, CLC
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Inside: Should you introduce vegetables to your baby before you introduce fruits? Our pediatric RD discusses the related studies so you can learn all about introducing vegetables to baby. Here’s what you need to know.
As parents, we want our children to be healthy.
Most parents understand that eating more vegetables is a key part of health for our children now and in the future. At the same time, it can be hard to get children to eat their veggies!
Should parents introduce vegetables before fruit to prevent pickiness when starting solid foods with their baby? Does it matter in what order you introduce vegetables and fruits to your infant?
Keep reading to learn how infants learn to like flavors, when the best time to introduce flavors is, and if this means you should start with veggies before fruit.
Babies and toddlers like fruits more than veggies
Preferring fruits starts out in babyhood. Many babies will eat more fruits than veggies right from the start. (1) When we do offer veggies to babies, they may or may not be interested in them.
As babies become toddlers, they may not eat many veggies at all. Toddler picky eating can be very stressful for parents and toddlers.
Next thing we know, kids are not eating as many vegetables as we would like. We might be concerned about their health.
Many parents wonder if they can avoid this situation.
How infants learn to like flavors
People learn to eat the flavors around them very early in life. Even in the womb, infants learn the sweet flavor and various other flavors.
Amniotic fluid is flavored by what the mother eats and can be flavored as well as sweet. (2,3) So by the time the baby is born, they already have learned to like sweet things.
It’s a good thing too, because breast milk is sweet and so is formula. The exceptions are hydrolyzed protein and elemental formulas, which tend to be more bitter.
Breast milk is also flavored by what the mother is eating. So through in utero and human milk exposure, the infant has already been exposed to other flavors.
Infants may eat a greater amount of fruits than veggies when they first have them because their brains are already used to sweet flavors.
Infants learn more flavors when they start eating solid foods
Prior to this, some parents may choose to do flavor training to introduce their infants to vegetable flavors early on.
Many parents just introduce solid foods around 6 months of age without doing flavor training, which is also fine.
The best time to introduce new flavors to babies
Various researchers have wondered about the best times to introduce new flavors to babies.
If babies get used to the tastes of veggies early, they are more likely to eat them through babyhood. (4,5)
Introducing flavors between 4 and 6 months of age seems to be a special window of time to introduce new flavors.
If a baby eats veggies before fruits does it make them eat more veggies later?
This special window of time has led researchers to wonder if eating veggies only before being exposed to fruits will help babies eat more veggies.
At least one study has concluded that it doesn’t matter when you introduce vegetables. Babies won’t eat more veggies if they just start with veggies. (1)
Several other small studies concluded in the past that serving only veggies instead of fruits in the first few weeks of weaning improves a child’s willingness to eat more veggies later. (6,7,8)
A more recent, robust study agreed with the earlier studies and concluded that serving veggies to babies before fruits does make babies more likely to eat veggies a few months later. (9)
More studies are looking at this question and there is still more to learn.
Should you serve vegetables before fruits to your baby?
There is nothing wrong with delaying the introduction of fruits for your baby.
There are other studies, including this one, which have concluded that introducing veggies first will not make your baby eat less fruit. (1)
Given that there does not seem to be a downside to serving veggies before fruit, we recommend delaying the introduction of fruit if it works for you.
At the same time, we know that babies can learn to like a wide variety of foods through repeated exposure, parent modeling and a positive food environment.
Your baby can learn to like veggies and other foods, even if they eat fruits before veggies.
Starting solid foods with your baby
Whether you are feeding your baby using the baby-led weaning method or the puree-to-table method, you can help your baby learn to like vegetables and other foods when you use the best practices of feeding infants.
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Jennifer Anderson is a registered dietitian and has a masters of science in public health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. In 2019, she founded Kids Eat in Color®, a public health resource that improves child and family nutrition and mental health. Prior to starting Kids Eat in Color® she coordinated youth nutrition programs at a food bank, performed research in inner-city food deserts, and consulted for the USDA national office SNAP-Ed program. Her academic background is in public health nutrition, cultural anthropology, and economics.
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Inside: Should you introduce vegetables to your baby before you introduce fruits? Our pediatric RD discusses the related studies so you can learn all about introducing vegetables to baby. Here’s what you need to know.
As parents, we want our children to be healthy.
Most parents understand that eating more vegetables is a key part of health for our children now and in the future. At the same time, it can be hard to get children to eat their veggies!
Should parents introduce vegetables before fruit to prevent pickiness when starting solid foods with their baby? Does it matter in what order you introduce vegetables and fruits to your infant?
Keep reading to learn how infants learn to like flavors, when the best time to introduce flavors is, and if this means you should start with veggies before fruit.
Babies and toddlers like fruits more than veggies
Preferring fruits starts out in babyhood. Many babies will eat more fruits than veggies right from the start. (1) When we do offer veggies to babies, they may or may not be interested in them.
As babies become toddlers, they may not eat many veggies at all. Toddler picky eating can be very stressful for parents and toddlers.
Next thing we know, kids are not eating as many vegetables as we would like. We might be concerned about their health.
Many parents wonder if they can avoid this situation.
How infants learn to like flavors
People learn to eat the flavors around them very early in life. Even in the womb, infants learn the sweet flavor and various other flavors.
Amniotic fluid is flavored by what the mother eats and can be flavored as well as sweet. (2,3) So by the time the baby is born, they already have learned to like sweet things.
It’s a good thing too, because breast milk is sweet and so is formula. The exceptions are hydrolyzed protein and elemental formulas, which tend to be more bitter.
Breast milk is also flavored by what the mother is eating. So through in utero and human milk exposure, the infant has already been exposed to other flavors.
Infants may eat a greater amount of fruits than veggies when they first have them because their brains are already used to sweet flavors.
Infants learn more flavors when they start eating solid foods
When infants show the signs of readiness for solid foods it’s time for them to start eating foods in earnest.
Prior to this, some parents may choose to do flavor training to introduce their infants to vegetable flavors early on.
Many parents just introduce solid foods around 6 months of age without doing flavor training, which is also fine.
The best time to introduce new flavors to babies
Various researchers have wondered about the best times to introduce new flavors to babies.
If babies get used to the tastes of veggies early, they are more likely to eat them through babyhood. (4,5)
Introducing flavors between 4 and 6 months of age seems to be a special window of time to introduce new flavors.
If a baby eats veggies before fruits does it make them eat more veggies later?
This special window of time has led researchers to wonder if eating veggies only before being exposed to fruits will help babies eat more veggies.
At least one study has concluded that it doesn’t matter when you introduce vegetables. Babies won’t eat more veggies if they just start with veggies. (1)
Several other small studies concluded in the past that serving only veggies instead of fruits in the first few weeks of weaning improves a child’s willingness to eat more veggies later. (6,7,8)
A more recent, robust study agreed with the earlier studies and concluded that serving veggies to babies before fruits does make babies more likely to eat veggies a few months later. (9)
More studies are looking at this question and there is still more to learn.
Should you serve vegetables before fruits to your baby?
There is nothing wrong with delaying the introduction of fruits for your baby.
There are other studies, including this one, which have concluded that introducing veggies first will not make your baby eat less fruit. (1)
Given that there does not seem to be a downside to serving veggies before fruit, we recommend delaying the introduction of fruit if it works for you.
At the same time, we know that babies can learn to like a wide variety of foods through repeated exposure, parent modeling and a positive food environment.
The best first foods for your baby are high-iron foods, protein foods, and fruits and vegetables.
Your baby can learn to like veggies and other foods, even if they eat fruits before veggies.
Starting solid foods with your baby
Whether you are feeding your baby using the baby-led weaning method or the puree-to-table method, you can help your baby learn to like vegetables and other foods when you use the best practices of feeding infants.
Learn more about feeding infants
References