Kids' sweet tooth: How adults can help them eat goodies in moderation

A 2021 article in the 'Journal of Sensory Studies' states that a child’s 'heightened preference for sweetness is universal across cultures.' — Dreamstime/TNS

MY NINE-YEAR-OLD grandson recently told me the bits of spinach in my tortellini soup were his “worst nightmare.” A bit over-dramatic, don’t you think? This same kid has no problem downing any sweet treat that comes his way, however.

Why do kids have such a strong preference for sweets? We are born with it, say experts. It’s this initial taste for sugar that may drive us to seek our first food. Human milk is high in the natural sugar, lactose – an easily digested source of energy that also promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in an infant’s gut, according to a 2019 consensus article on lactose in the journal Nutrients.