A study has found that millions of children in the UK try their first taste of olives, hummus and quinoa before the age of five.
Today’s youngsters are having more exotic and adventurous food from an early age than in previous generations, with many having their first taste of curry, aubergine and pakchoi before their 5th birthday.
Kiddylicious nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed, who commissioned the research said: “Parents today have more choice than ever when it comes to foods they can feed their babies, meaning youngsters are eating far more exotic and adventurous foods from an early age.
“Olives, quinoa and cous cous are foods which weren’t readily available in previous generations but are now staple items in a lot of households.”
One in twenty under-fives have tucked into mussels – something many adults rarely or never eat. And almost six in ten parents of under-fives even claim their child has a more varied diet than they do.
The study of 2,000 parents found one in ten of today’s under-fives have already tried olives – double the one in twenty who had done so by the age of five in previous generations. And 37 per cent had already tried curry compared to just 12 per cent of their older counterparts.
The top ten foods favoured by youngsters are:
- Sweet potato
- Curry
- Mango
- Baby sweetcorn
- Butternut squash
- Garlic
- Courgettes
- Spinach
- Avocado
- Cous cous
Over and out #SELB
