Hard White White Taste Test

Providing multiple opportunities for children to try a new food is important. University of Idaho Associate Professor and Registered Dietitian Dr. Samantha Ramsay shares result of her recent research study examining children's consumption of hard white white versus hard red wheat. She says in some cases

Ramsay: "Children have an aversion to whole grains because of the greater bitterness that might come with whole grains. In that hard red wheat in particular has more tannins which means that it does create the potential for more bitter taste versus hard white wheat does not have as many tannins thus has less of the bitter response. There have been research looking at hard red wheat and hard white wheat in older population like elementary-age children and adults but not in this primary time period of early childhood in which you establish food-related behaviors. So we examined children's consumption by offering bread and tortillas made from hard red wheat and hard white wheat in whole grain over the course of repeated exposure — almost 10 exposures per child. Essentially we found that children did indicated higher liking for hard white wheat as well as greater consumption of hard white wheat than hard red wheat whole grain."

Dr. Ramsay's research was sponsored by the Idaho Wheat Commission. She says the study's implications are creating the potential of increasing consumption of whole grains by using hard white wheat product options.

She adds it is important to offer foods to young children repeatedly, even when they refuse the first several times