Childhood likes and dislikes are down to what parents cook

New research has shown that while children may have a genetic predisposition to like meat or fish, as a result of their parents' preferences, when it comes to developing a taste for fruit and vegetables there's everything to play for.

A study by Cancer Research UK found that parents play a key role in helping their children to eat fruit and vegetables. Scientiests found that there's no predisposition to disliking vegetables, so it's down to parents to make sure children learn to like eating their greens.

The study looked at 200 sets of same sex twins and looked at their food preferences to work out if any of our taste in food is inherited. It found that while the genes had a strong impact on their preferences for protein, it had little effect on whether the children liked fruit or vegetables.

'It is not clear exactly what environmental factors are influential when it comes to fruit, vegetables or puddings,' said lead researcher Jane Wardle. 'It might be that children who witness their parents show enthusiasm or distaste for certain types of vegetables or puddings are likely to follow suit. Or it might be that if a particular food is always available, children learn to like it. For instance, if a fruit bowl is always full of bananas, then children might think of them as being a favourite food.'

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