On Sunday, Jul 11, 2004, at 20:16 US/Pacific, Engelhart/Paul Family
wrote:

> There is actually quite a bit of science on the instinctive versus
> learned
> behavior of children when it comes to eating.  Steven Pinker who is an
> evolutionary psychologist describes this research in How the Mind
> Works.  It
> has been a while since I read it but the pattern is something like
> this:
> Children of about one to two years old will eat almost anything.
> Psychologists have made edible artificial feces ( blue cheese for
> flavour,
> brown food colouring etc.)  The babies eat it happily.  The they go
> through
> a stage for a few years where they are picky.  They find a few foods
> they
> like and they stick with them.  As adults we broaden our food choices
> but
> tend to follow the food taboos of our society.

I think it depends greatly on the presence of appropriate choices. Most
SAD items are addictive and unnatural, so the whole instinctive
mechanism is no longer able to function once bad choices are presented.
As far as babies putting things in their mouths, this, too, would be a
whole lot less risky in a natural environment free of chemicals and
manmade substances. Many species do eat feces on occasion, of their own
or different species. Our barrier against this is also cultural.

When the instinct to choose food is perverted, societal taboos will
rule, and the preferences we develop as children will stay, rightly or
wrongly acquired.

ginny



All stunts performed without a net!