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Picky or fussy eating is a normal phase in children. It usually starts between ages 2 and 4 and resolves for most children within a few years, but it can last longer in some cases. Parents of picky eaters often worry that their children may not be eating enough nutritious foods or that their children’s eating habits may cause health issues or slow their growth. These concerns are understandable, but there are techniques to help expand a child’s palette and healthy eating habits.
Ancient Survival and Food Preference
The technical term for picky eating is “neophobia”. It means a tendency to avoid certain foods or reluctance to try new foods. The origin of this tendency is part of our evolutionary history. In the days before fancy modern techniques like pasteurization, refrigeration or even cooking itself, what you eat meant life or death. Being cautious and avoiding risks in your diets was a sensible strategy for survival. In fact, it’s been passed down genetically. A study published in the journal Nutrients looked at sets of twins and determined neophobic eating habits in early childhood was correlated to over 70% genetic causes. This means nature was more of a factor than nurture in eating habits in children.
Another factor in the origin of picky eating is our preference for calorie dense food. A person in a prehistoric savannah or an ice age steppe had a biological imperative to eat meat over root vegetables or other plants they may have found as they traversed the landscape. Not knowing when or if your next meal would come made people eat as much calories as they could find. In our modern context, when food is usually available by a trip to the nearest grocery or with a few swipes on a phone, this ancient tendency ironically leads to overconsumption and health problems like obesity. It’s still hardwired into us though. It also explains why some children only want to eat pizza, chicken nuggets, or any other food we know we should only eat in moderation.
Beyond our ancient roots, children with sensory issues or negative experiences with food may develop picky eating habits. Certain textures may be offputting or a previous instance of choking can cause children to develop aversions to certain foods. This too is common and often not a cause for concern if it’s not causing greater health problems or extreme food avoidance for the child.
ARFID
We should preface any discussion of picky eating by mentioning avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). ARFID is a medical condition that requires medical intervention. ARFID goes beyond picky eating and puts a person, particularly a child, at risk of health conditions. According to UCLA Health, AFRID can lead to health conditions like malnutrition, poor growth, delayed puberty and anemia. They explain ARFID and the difference between picky eating and ARFID as:
“Children with this condition have very little interest in most foods. They have extreme aversions to many foods (or entire food groups). In some cases, they may fear what could happen if they eat a certain food, such as choking or vomiting… The biggest difference is that the average picky eater is still hungry and wants to eat. Kids with ARFID would rather go all day without food — even though they are hungry — than deal with the discomfort they have around eating.”
If you suspect a child has symptoms of ARFID seek medical care.
How to Encourage a Picky Eater
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have shared some practical tips for dealing with children that are picky eaters:
Try Different Approaches
- Try eating the food first to show them you like it. Then, let them try it.
- Make funny faces with the foods on their plate. It may help them get excited to eat it.
- Give them a choice of different foods to try. Let them decide which one to try today.
- Serve new foods with foods you know they like.
- Try freezing small bites of leftover foods. You can use these later and avoid throwing food away.
- Wait a couple of days before offering the food again. It can take more than 10 times before your child likes it.
As children get older, they may start refusing foods they used to like or start showing signs of being a picky eater. Favoring just a couple of foods or not wanting foods to touch each other on the plate are normal behaviors. These behaviors often go away by the time the child is about 5 years old.
Try a Variety of Tastes and Textures
Giving your child foods with a variety of different tastes and textures can help them learn to accept and like a variety of foods. You can let your child try a variety of textures including:
- Smooth (strained or pureed).
- Mashed or lumpy.
- Finely chopped or ground.
Start with smooth or mashed foods first and then move towards finely chopped or ground foods as they get older. This can help your child develop chewing skills, as well as fine motor skills like pinching and picking up food with their fingers. Be sure to offer foods in the right size, consistency, and shape for your child’s age and development to help prevent choking.
Have Fun!
- Keep fruit and vegetables on the kitchen counter or where children can see them as a reminder of healthy snacks.
- Allow kids to touch and smell their food to spark interest and improve comfort with new foods during meal time.
- Make funny faces with the foods on your child’s plate. It might help your child get excited to eat it.
- Offer a rainbow of colors with different fruits and vegetables for snacks and meals.
- Serve water instead of sugary drinks. Add berries, lemons, limes, or cucumbers to give water more color and flavor.
- Encourage your child to use 3 of their 5 senses (smell, touch, taste) as you prepare food. Prepare the same fruit or vegetable in different ways.
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