Scientists have figured out why children eat selectively.

American scientists have figured out exactly how children build their food preferences. Experts reported that emotions affect your choicethat the child is experiencing.

So, in the age group from 4 to 9 years, most children after experienced sadness or joy preferred exactly sweet. The essence of the experiment was as follows: all the kids were divided into three groups. The first showed a cartoon filled with joyful emotions. The second showed a sad cartoon, and the third - a neutral fragment of the cartoon. After that, each group was offered a choice four snack options - salty, sour, sweet, bland.

Those kids who fell to see the sad cartoon, ate 3 times more chocolatethan their peers who watched the cartoon neutral. The older the children were, the stronger was the craving for sweets. The researchers suggested that in this way the kids "compensated" the level of endorphins - the hormones of happiness.

Gradually, the child begins associate food with emotions. Cake - joy, celebration, happiness. Cutlet - dull weekdays. Such eating habits can cause childhood obesity and other health problems, doctors say.

Researchers offered parents an interesting way out. When the baby is sad, he needs to offer no candy, and a piece of meat or fruit. That is how the proper nutritional association and healthy eating habits will be established.