The psychologists have found that using the strategy of offering pudding as a reward for eating vegetables is teaching children to desire foods that are bad for them. They have also discovered that withholding foods when vegetables are not eaten, results in children viewing the restricted food as desirable.

Parents who use these strategies are, in effect, teaching their children that the reward or restricted foods are desirable. When parents state that there is a restriction on a certain food, they are unknowingly inducing a preference in the child.

The conclusions of the survey show that a policy of 'everything in moderation' is the answer to a balanced diet in children. Psychologists recommend that parents make foods such as chocolate and crisps available to their children on a daily basis in small amounts. This means that there is still a restriction on the food, but that the child is not aware of this, thereby avoiding inducing any preference for these kind of foods in the child.

The survey was carried out by researchers amongst children aged 3 - 4 years. Dr Gillian Harris, lead investigator in the project for the University and Principal Clinical Psychologist at The Children's Hospital Birmingham, says, 'Inadvertently parents are teaching their children about the 'naughty, but nice' philosophy. By using these strategies, a preference for a certain type of food is being set up and this means that when a child reaches an age where he or she can choose what to eat, it is likely that the high-fat, high-calorie foods will be preferred. The research has important implications for nurseries, schools and parents trying to get children to eat a balanced and moderate diet and to ensure children's healthy food choices.'

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Ulcerative colitis patients commonly experience abdominal pain and diarrhoea but fatigue, weight loss, rectal bleeding, loss of appetite and loss of body fluids and nutrients can affect some patients. The trial results were dramatic showing that the synbiotic had a highly significant effect on inflammatory molecules in the bowel wall, largely reducing the pain and discomfort commonly experienced by ulcerative colitis patients. Molecular and clinical tests showed that many symptoms associated with colitis were reduced to near normal levels, and unlike many other treatments, there are no side effects.

Professor George Macfarlane said, This is an important development in the search for an effective treatment for ulcerative colitis. The trial results show that participants receiving the synbiotic stopped experiencing pain, diarrhoea and other symptoms commonly associated with the disease. This meant that they could go about their daily lives without worrying about the symptoms that makes living with the disease a struggle.

The work is ongoing and the research team is also investigating the effects that both diet and age have on the gut. A multidisciplinary team of ten have worked on the project that has seen laboratory based observations translated to the clinical environment - the patients. The project was funded by the Medical Research Council.

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