Development of Child-Friendly Fish Dishes to Increase Young Children’s Acceptance and Consumption of Fish

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) is a major omega-3 PUFA esterified in the glycerophospholipids that form the structural matrix of brain grey matter and retinal membranes. It can be synthesized from alpha-linolenic acid or obtained directly from maternal milk (breast milk), fish oil, or algae oil. Because humans lack specific desaturases, they are unable to form omega-3 or omega-6 PUFAs de novo and must obtain these fatty acids from their diet, DHA accumulation in the brain and retina as well as in other organs depends on the amount and types of omega-3 PUFAs consumed in the diet.

Fish is one of the best dietary sources for people to obtain DHA and is of particular importance during childhood to support proper brain and eye development, but it is under-consumed in the US pediatric population. This study examined if substituting salmon for chicken would increase preschooler’s fish consumption. 

In the experiments, 2-5 years old children (n = 45) were served eight lunches (four pairs of comparable chicken versus salmon dishes) twice, totaling sixteen lunches over a period of three months to test the hypothesis that children would consume fish at least once a week, thus increasing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake. The plate waste method was used to collect intake data and consumption of total energy and DHA intake in the chicken and the fish dishes were compared by using contrasts within a mixed effect ANOVA (significance at P < 0.05). 

The results indicated that Dietary intake estimates showed that there were no significant differences in energy intake when the chicken and fish dishes looked similar (macaroni-and-cheese and wraps), but when the fish dishes looked new (nuggets and dumplings), energy intake on fish days was lower than on the chicken days. DHA intake increased significantly on all days the fish was served. 

In conclusion, fish intake could meet recommendations if salmon was incorporated into familiar dishes such as salad wraps or macaroni-and-cheese in the childcare setting. Although fish is more expensive, childcare centers may serve this highly nutritious protein once a week without experiencing undue amounts of food wastes if incorporated into well-accepted main dishes.

Article by Lyndsey R. Huss, et al, from Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA.

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