Infants’ liking for green beans, based on observed behaviour and facial expressions, increased after repeated exposure to vegetables at the start of weaning

Most children do not consume the recommended amount of vegetables. Liking is an important predictor of intake, therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of repeated vegetable exposure on infants’ liking for green beans, assessed through the observation of acceptance and facial expressions. Four to seven month old infants (N = 101) were randomly assigned to either a vegetable or a fruit group, receiving vegetable or fruit purees for the first 18 days of weaning, respectively. On day 19, the fruit group received their first vegetable puree and vice-versa. For the present study, recordings of 60 mother-infant dyads were analysed. Behavioural responses and acceptance of the approaching spoon as well as negative facial expressions in response to the consumption of green bean puree were recorded and analysed in both groups. Within the vegetable group, infants showed a significant decrease in negative facial expressions and a significant increase in acceptance of green bean puree between baseline and 18 days of exposure. Further, infants in the vegetable group expressed significantly fewer negative facial expressions and a higher acceptance of vegetable puree after the intervention period compared to infants in the fruit group. A significant negative correlation between intake and facial expressions was found. Results support previous findings that liking for vegetables increases through repeated exposure to vegetables, but liking of vegetables does not increase through repeated exposure to fruits.