Table 3.

Preferred and disliked food groups together with the top 3 of most often mentioned attribute categories based on the children's reasons for liking and disliking

	4–5 years	7–8 years	11–12 years
Preferences	Soft, high-energy foods Fruit	Composed dishes Soft, high-energy foods Fruit	Vegetable dishes Composed dishes Soft, high-energy foods Fruit
Dislikes	Bitter vegetables	Bitter vegetables Bland vegetables	Bitter vegetables Sour vegetables Bland vegetables
Basis for liking	1. Texture 2. Taste 3. Preference	1. Texture 2. Taste 3. Sweetness 3. Sourness	1. Taste 2. Texture 3. Preference for topping
Basis for disliking	1. Texture 2. Taste 3. Appearance	1. Taste 2. Sourness 3. Texture	1. Sourness 2. Bitterness 3. Negative (expected) experiences