Increasing Lean Protein Intake in Preschool-age Children and Assessing Effects on Cognition and Select Health Outcomes

Increasing Lean Protein Intake in Preschool-age Children

The proposed project addresses the goal of exploring preschooler's ability to recognize changes in feelings of hunger/satiety based on consuming a snack and a meal (lunch/dinner) that are either based on the usual childcare center fare (control) or are based on lean meats (intervention), which will have a lower glycemic index.

Inclusion Criteria:

• child 2-5 years old

Parent participants:

• Parents of at least one child aged 2-5 years old
• Parents can communicate in English.
• Parents in households who do not have a cultural/ religious reason to abstain from to consuming pork

Exclusion Criteria:

• Child participants:
• Food allergies
• Taking medication that affects food intake (such as stimulant medications),
• Children with diabetes or impaired glucose control.
• Children with digestive disease (such as Crohn's)
• Dietary/religious preferences that exclude consumption of pork

Parent participants:

- Dietary/religious preferences that exclude consumption of pork