Infants Accept Partially Whole Grain Cereal

Early exposure to whole grain foods can shape food preferences later in life, so researchers wonder if it may be worthwhile to start with infants. Infant cereals are one of the first solid foods given to babies to compliment breast milk or formula and are often made from refined grains like white rice or pearled barley. In this study, researchers in Spain worked with parents of 81 infants (4-24 months old) to test the acceptability of 30% whole grain infant cereals (made with whole wheat), compared with a popular refined infant cereal. (Whole wheat was chosen to comply with European infant legislation, to make sure that the amount of fiber was appropriate.) After trying each of the cereals for 3 days in a row, infants were just as likely to accept and finish the whole grain cereal as they were the refined cereal. The researchers concluded that infant cereals are an opportunity to expose young people to whole grains earlier in life, to build a taste for them.
Nutrients. 2017 Jan 13;9(1). pii: E65. (Haro-Vicente JF et al.)