A study by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) and University of Oslo found that mothers with negative thoughts and feelings are more likely to give their children unhealthy food to eat. Sounds obvious, but this was the first study to compare a child’s diet with psychological and sociodemographic factors in the mother, and could lead to better counseling by health professionals and nutritionists.
The study looked at over 27,000 mothers and their 18 month old children, and linked mothers who were emotionally unstable, anxious, angry, sad, had poor self-confidence or a negative view of the world with the propensity to give their child sweet and fatty foods. According to the authors, by 18 months of age, a child can learn to prefer sweet and fatty foods over healthy food choices.
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