Sweet and Salt preferences in children that started weaning exclusively with fruit or with vegetables.

Consumption of added sugars may be related to a higher prevelance of obesity.
Weaning with sweet fruit purees as is usually done in the Netherlands may
promote a liking for high sugar levels in foods later on in life. Weaning with
vegetables may lower the optimal sugar levels in foods.

Objective: The main objective is to test the preference for sweet and saltwater
solutions in infants that started weaning exclusively with fruit or with
vegetables. Acceptance of sweet and salt intensity is compared between the
fruit and vegetable groups, but also linked to the infants initial fruit and
vegetable acceptance in the group as a whole.

This is a parallel study desigh..
This study is part of the longitudinal VaVo-study in which we measure the
development of fruit and vegetable preferences in infants that started weaning
exclusively with fruit or with vegetables. This intervention takes part 16
months after the infants started with the first phase of the Vavo-study.
During the fisrt two testsessions the intake of the apple or the
greenbeanspuree will be measured.
During the third test session two sequences of 4 bottles are presented to the
child. One sequence for sweet and one for salt. For each taste 4 feeding
bottles with solutions are presented to the infant. A tasting session for each
solution exists of: water bottle- solution bottle- solution bottle -water
bottle. Each bottle is presented to the children for 45 seconds. Between the
different bottles that are presented is a 15 second pause.

During the test session two sequences of 4 bottles are presented to the child.
One sequence for sweet and one for salt. For each taste 4 feeding bottles with
solutions are presented to the infant. A tasting session for each solution
exists of: water bottle- solution bottle- solution bottle -water bottle. Each
bottle is presented to the children for 45 seconds. Between the different
bottles that are presented is a 15 second pause.

The burden for the child is considered minimal. The parents come 3 times with
the child to our test location. On the first 2 days the children are fed apple
puree and green beans puree. On the third day the children receive feeding
bottles with water, salt solution or sucrose solution. They are presented in a
playfull manner only 45 seconds per bottle (8 in total: 4 water, 2 salt and 2
sucrose. Each 50 ml). The child decides how much he or she drinks.