Can't parents just model healthy eating?

I had an interesting conversation on Facebook about this topic today....

Someone asked me if I didn't think parents would be good enough candidates to model healthy eating -- i.e. why shouldn't we just let real-world role models do this for their kids, since we know that research has shown peer/parent modeling can be one effective way to help children eat more new healthy foods? 

I would definitely encourage parents to model healthy eating and to be good role models for positive food attitudes within their family (1). However, in reality this does not always translate into a child wanting to join along with them....

My reply was that I don't know of any equivalent modeling studies yet that specifically use cartoons who model positive eating behaviors. But the Tiny Tastes app concept is based on the widespread experience that we've consistently observed: the seemingly "magical" impact that cartoon characters and other media can have on influencing children's behaviors and learning in general. 

Tiny offers a very cute, neutral way to engage children, while still leaving it up to the child entirely to decide if he/she wants to join Tiny and eat along with her! 

For example, Tiny Tastes may be similar to the Popeye approach (2) where children are inspired to eat the same thing that they see modeled in front of them by a hero or animated "friend"! 

We also know that cartoon advertising of food products has an impact on a child's food preferences and intake amount. (3)  And also that healthy foods promoted in media are associated with a child's higher preference for those foods and vice versa. (4) 

Since we know that what children see on the Screen can really impact their food choices in a special way, why not harness the power of media/technology for good?

Tiny will invite your child to share their healthy foods with her through the app... and as they watch her enjoy the very same foods that are in their own meal, they can be inspired to join her by doing the same!

Visit us at www.tinytastesworld.com


(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15003137
(2) http://jhppl.dukejournals.org/content/30/5/803.short
(3) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822301000128, http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/hea/28/4/404/
(4) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953607002730