S-Africa: Kids prefer sweeties to meal

  1. Posted on Thursday 7 April 2011 - 17:40
    Simphiwe
    Image of Simphiwe
    Simphiwe Gwija, VoicesofAfrica mobile reporter in Johannesburg, South Africa
    Cartoon characters like Popeye spinach to inspire children have their greenies as it contain vitamins and bugs bunny were our super heroes in helping us to eat our food as carrots are good for eyesight. No matter how well our food have been prepared as kids we still preferred to have a little bit of food and then have lots of sweeties cause they fulfilled us as kids, watching adverts that show that sugar gives you energy.
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    Research shows kids turn up their noses at broccoli but beg for ice cream? It may be genetic. A study done by researchers at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia shows that a gene called TAS2R38 may be responsible for children's aversion to bitter tastes. Every one of us carries two of these genes. There are two different versions of this gene, with one being more sensitive to bitter tastes than the other.

    If one or both of those bitter-sensitive genes are present, we are more likely to dislike bitter tastes.

    The study included 143 children and their mothers, and over 79% of the children had one or two copies of the bitter-sensitive gene present. Interestingly, the presence of the bitter-sensitive gene made a bigger impact on the children's food preferences than their mothers. The mothers tastes seemed to be influenced more by race and ethnicity than the children. In a sense, they grew out of their aversion to bitter foods.

    Children growing up under their grandmother's care are likely to enjoy everything they eat. From soft porridge, pumpkin, cucumbers, green beans to cabbage and the rest of green veggies.

    With you eating a well cooked meal with lots of veggies you will live longer, that a fact Modern medicine can prolong life and medical science is keeping people alive who would die without transplants, bypasses etc; but what of the quality of life? It's simpler not to eat meat. The more plant foods you eat the less room you have for meat food, which clogs the arteries with cholesterol and strain the kidneys with excess protein and burden the heart with saturated fat. Farm animals receive 30 times the antibiotics than people do.

    This is not so much to prevent infection - although the cramped factory farm conditions do lead to much sickness but to promote more growth an less feed. We ingest these and the hormones through the flesh we consume.

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