Cooking Skills (COOKING RESEARCH STUDIES)

In this 2019 study, the participants (5–7-year-old children) were placed in a laboratory setting and made to prepare either a salad or a dessert themselves. They were then given the opportunity to either eat the food they prepared themselves and/or a virtually identical meal prepared by someone else. The aim of the study was to find out whether the act of preparing food encourages the children to eat that food. DeJesus et al. believe that this had never been investigated up to the time of the study. The researchers also want to know if the observed effect varies depending on whether the foods are healthy or unhealthy. The results in fact showed that the kids ate more of the foods they prepared themselves, although there was no significant difference in the children’s likings of each food. Moreover, the young children ate more healthy foods that they prepared themselves, but also consumed more unhealthy foods they had made (including familiar desserts). Thus, recommendations need to be slightly altered and more specific, in order to promote child health through food preparation.