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Treating kids' food cravings 'could improve concentration'

Date: 19/05/2010 / Category: Kids party ideas

Food cravings could be preventing children from engaging with lessons and other exercise for kids, new research suggests.

Scientists at Australia's Flinders University are confident that cravings can be curbed with special cognitive techniques that encourage children to think about common sights or smells instead of what they want to eat.

In a review of current research published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, study authors Eva Kemps and Marika Tiggermann showed that imagining a rainbow or the smell of eucalyptus could reduce food cravings.

The experiments were prompted by research studies which suggest that the vivid image of food often triggers cravings, which take up cognitive resources and brain power that can often distract from other tasks.

Commenting on the results of their study, the authors claim that treatments could be developed that "incorporate the dynamic visual noise display into existing accessible technologies, such as the smart phone and other mobile, hand-held computing devices".

Earlier this month, head of development at food company Organix Rachel Kingdon underlined the importance of preventing children from becoming fussy eaters.

She suggested that parents try to introduce their children to "as many foods as possible", because children that are even slightly fussy can have "real issues" with food.

Posted by Michael Paige ADNFCR-2594-ID-19787113-ADNFCR