To begin with, what is “picky eating”? There is no clear-cut definition, although many parents know it when they see it. Most picky eaters have a diet of fairly bland foods such as toast, crackers, and peanut butter. They are affected by the texture of food, or perhaps the smell, or even the presentation. The issue is not only one of childhood, for it can extend into adulthood.
Putting aside the issue of what “picking eating” is, many nutritionists, as a well as parents, are keen to break the behavior so that a child can consume a healthy diet and receive the full range of recommended vitamins.
Some new research has shown that children considered to be picky eaters by their parents react differently to common foods and also behave differently at mealtime compared to children who are not considered to be overly picky. A psychologist called Soo-Yeun Lee is of the view that these differences can be mapped across sixteen different behavioral traits.
Dr. Lee arrived at this conclusion after conducting a two-week study. With the research, parents of 170 two- to four-year-olds were asked to observe their children’s responses to five standardized meals that were given to them by the university conducting the study. At the start of the study, 83 children were found to be picky eaters; whereas 87 children were not.
Interestingly, notable differences existed between the two groups, with the behavior of picky eaters ranging from simple suspicion of an unfamiliar food to cringing, crying, and even gagging.
However, not all picky eaters were seen to be equal. Dr. Lee noted that picky eaters could be placed onto four standard groups. These are:
(1) Sensory-Dependent Eaters, who reject a food because it is mushy, slippery, bitter, or lumpy;
(2) Behavioral Responders, who cringe or gag when food is not prepared in the “right” way or refuse to come to the table at mealtime;
(3) Preferential Eaters, who will not new foods and avoid foods that are mixed or have complex ingredients;
(4) General Perfectionists, who have very specific needs, little variety in their diet, and may insist that foods not touch each other.
Of the four groups, group 4 contained the most children in the picky eater class.
As to whether there is a solution to picky eating, the researchers suggest something similar to cognitive behavioral therapy. Dr. Lee suggests serving a new item with a food the child likes and taking apart combined foods like sandwiches and casseroles to show what the dish contains.
The outcome of the research has been published in the Journal of Food Science. The paper is headed “Mealtime Behaviors and Food Consumption of Perceived Picky and Nonpicky Eaters through Home Use Test.”
