PICKY EATERS

The eating habits  of children have always tortured parents who wonder if their children are getting proper nourishment.  Nutritionists and psychologists have labored over this problem for years and there are many helpful suggestions on the Internet. For example, here, from Mayo Clinic, is one that offers 10 tips for picky eaters.

My mother used to short order cook to make sure we maintained our 'baby fat' and plump cheeks, much to my regret  (as my body has been trying for decades to rid itself of those extra determined-to-remain fat cells).  My father, who never had a weight problem in his 107 years, used to tell her to leave us alone.  He ate only what his body called for.  If we got hungry we would eat at the next meal.  As was often the case, he was often wiser than she but children can't get into the parental power struggles and he would back off, looking annoyed.

For picky eaters, taste wars with texture and mental images produced by appearance and feel and words like 'squishy', 'like worms', 'like eating trees', and many more colorful descriptions are heard.  However, one of the key things to be understood is that one-size-fits-all caution I so frequently refer to in this blog.  There are many reasons why people may become picky eaters though, for the first time, scientists are examining the genetic aspects.  To read about some recent work in this area, click here.

In fact, the N.Y. Times wrote about the genetics in 2007.  "The study, led by Dr. Lucy Cooke of the department of epidemiology and public health at University College London, was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in August. Dr. Cooke and others in the field believe it is the first to use a standard scale to investigate the contribution of genetics and environment to childhood neophobia.
According to the report, 78 percent is genetic and the other 22 percent environmental."