Do Children Who Eat Healthier Diets See Themselves as More Capable and Worthy?

• A survey of children and their caregivers in China, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, found that children who eat more fruits and vegetables tend to have better self-concepts.
• In other words, they tend to see themselves as more capable, worthy, and valuable compared to children who eat fruits and vegetables less often.
• Children who frequently ate sweet foods and street foods tended to have lower self-concepts as well.
• Children consuming unhealthy sugar-sweetened beverages had an increased risk of having emotional and behavioral issues.

We probably all know that food intake and food choice are not solely driven by hunger or biological needs, such as metabolic demands or neurobiological processes related to reward and emotion. For most people, food choice is determined by what is available where they live, what they can afford, what they are able to prepare, as well as their attitudes, cultural norms, and many other factors. Having a freshly cooked meal prepared from healthy ingredients is not just a matter of choice, but more often a matter of being able to obtain the needed ingredients, store them, have a place and facilities to prepare the meal, as well as time and knowledge to do it, or funds to buy the meal someone else has prepared. On the other hand, when this is not available, people may opt for industrially processed food with a long shelf life, or another convenient option, even if it is less healthy.

How does culture drive food choice?

Food choice is an expression of people’s identity, values, and lifestyle (Enriquez & Archila-Godinez, 2022). Some foods and methods of preparing them are deeply rooted in culture, transmitted through generations, and are thus considered traditional. Some foods are considered taboo in certain cultures. Individuals embracing norms of those cultures are expected to avoid eating such foods (Jayasinghe et al., 2025).

Researchers use the term cultural food to refer to specific foods associated with a particular culture, region, or ethnicity. These foods are prepared using recipes and ingredients that have been passed down through generations, carrying historical and symbolic significance as part of the shared identity of specific cultural groups. Examples include sushi in Japan, pasta in Italy, tamales in Mexico, or fermented herring in Sweden. Cultural groups also have their own food cultures, which encompass rituals, values, and social norms surrounding food. Food culture refers to the way food is grown, prepared, shared, and consumed, along with the customs that influence these activities (Jayasinghe et al., 2025; Nygaard, 2019).

A recent survey including 16 different countries found that broad cultural dimensions are associated with specific food-related attitudes and behaviors. For example, this study showed that individuals with higher tolerance for ambiguity were more likely to choose foods that are trendy, cheap, and convenient. People from less indulgent cultures were more likely to eat foods similar to those they had eaten as children. In contrast, individuals with a short-term orientation were more often inclined to eat foods that others expected them to consume (Djekic et al., 2021).

Food choice and mental health

Studies have also shown that some food choices are associated with mental health. For example, a 2024 meta-analysis indicated that more frequent consumption of junk food was associated with an increased odds of depression and psychological stress (Ejtahed et al., 2024; Hedrih, 2025). Higher intake of added sugars is associated with poorer sleep quality (Alahmary et al., 2022). Additionally, some individuals use food consumption as a means of coping with stress and intense emotions. This behavior is referred to as emotional eating (Ljubičić et al., 2023)

The current study

Study author Dong Zhao and his colleagues aimed to investigate the relationship between the dietary habits of children on one side, and their self-concept and emotional and behavioral problems on the other (Zhao et al., 2025). Self-concept is a person’s overall understanding of themselves, indicating how capable, worthy, and confident they see themselves to be. Emotional and behavioral problems in children are difficulties in managing emotions, behaviors, or social interactions that significantly interfere with their daily functioning, learning, or relationships.

These authors conducted a survey. Study participants were recruited from Zhejiang province in China, using a stratified sampling procedure that divided the province into 3 economic groups. Researchers then randomly selected two primary schools from each economic group and surveyed all third-grade children and their caregivers in those schools.

In total, they surveyed 1126 children-caregiver pairs. The average age of children was 9-10 years. 302 were classified as having emotional and behavioral problems. 71% of participants lived in cities. 67% of participating caregivers were mothers.

Study participants answered 10 questions about children’s consumption of 3 healthy foods – fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, and milk/soymilk, and seven unhealthy foods – sugar-sweetened beverages, fried food, sweet food, puffed food, pickled vegetables, Western fast food, and street food in the preceding week. They also completed assessments of self-concept (using the Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale) and emotional and behavioral problems (using the Rutter’s Child Behavior Questionnaire) (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Study Procedure (Zhao et al., 2025)

Children who eat more fruit and vegetables tend to have better self-concepts

Results showed that children eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables had half the odds of having low self-concept compared to their peers who ate less of these foods. Children who ate sweet foods and street foods more than three times a week were also more likely to have a low self-concept. On the other hand, children who drank lots of sugar-sweetened beverages had higher odds of displaying emotional and behavioral problems.

Overall, children with healthy dietary habits tended to have better self-concept and were less likely to display emotional and behavioral problems, particularly anti-social behaviors. The study authors tested a statistical model proposing that healthy dietary habits lead to a better self-concept and that a better self-concept reduces the risk of emotional and behavioral problems. The results showed that this state of relationships is indeed possible (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Study Findings (Zhao et al., 2025)

Conclusion

Overall, the study revealed a slight association between healthy dietary habits, specifically the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and mental health. Children with healthier diets tended to have slightly better self-concepts and were less likely to display emotional and behavioral problems.

Although the design of this study does not allow for any causal inferences to be drawn from the results, it is possible that improving children’s diets by ensuring they have access to fresh fruits and vegetables may be protective of their mental health, aside from conferring other health benefits.

The paper “Association between dietary habits and emotional and behavioral problems in children: the mediating role of self-concept” was authored by Dong Zhao, Wenhan Xiao, Boren Tan, Ye Zeng, Shuting Li, Jiali Zhou, Shiyi Shan, Jing Wu, Qian Yi, Ronghua Zhang, Danting Su, and Peige Song.

 

References

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Hedrih, V. (2025). Does Eating Lots of Junk Food Lead to Poor Mental Health? CNP Articles in Nutritional Psychology. https://www.nutritional-psychology.org/does-eating-lots-of-junk-food-lead-to-poor-mental-health/

Jayasinghe, S., Byrne, N. M., & Hills, A. P. (2025). Cultural influences on dietary choices. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, In press, S0033062025000209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2025.02.003

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Zhao, D., Xiao, W., Tan, B., Zeng, Y., Li, S., Zhou, J., Shan, S., Wu, J., Yi, Q., Zhang, R., Su, D., & Song, P. (2025). Association between dietary habits and emotional and behavioral problems in children: The mediating role of self-concept. Frontiers in Nutrition, 12, 1426485. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1426485