8:02am UK, Wednesday October 08, 2003

For many parents, persuading young children to eat fresh fruit and vegetables is exasperating - if not impossible.

But new research suggests fussiness over meals could be due to an evolutionary trait designed to protect youngsters from harmful toxins.

180 girl eating pizza child eats junk food health

Junk food: It's only evolution

The problem is that a strategy which was sensible thousands of years ago does not apply today and may be responsible for British children not eating enough fruit and veg.

Cancer Research UK found children may have evolved a natural suspicion of foods with the potential to upset their tender stomachs.

The study's authors hope that by understanding the reasons behind children's fussiness, strategies can be developed to encourage them to eat healthily.

The scientists asked whether youngsters were reluctant to eat any unfamiliar foods or whether they were selectively rejecting those most likely to pose a threat to health.

This theory dates back to early human history when the presence of toxins in many plants made eating fruit and vegetables a risk to young children.

Questionnaires were given to 564 mothers of children aged two to find those who were neophobic - reluctant to eat newfoods.

The results showed neophobic children often ate very low amounts of green vegetables, meat and fruit.

The more fussy a child was, the less they consumed potentially dangerous foods.

Lead researcher Lucy Cooke said: "The problem is that strategies which were sensible for children to adopt thousands of years ago are not such a good idea now."