Pinning down the causes and effects of overly picky eaters
“Do I have eat all of it?”
My daughter looked at me, trying her best to look sad and tortured over the possibility of eating three more forkfuls of salad. The effect was slightly diminished though by her hand, which was still pinching her nose to stop herself from actually tasting her food.
“Yes, eat all of it.”
For all the groaning and whining, she did finish the serving of vegetables. Like most kids her age, she’d greatly prefer a diet strictly composed of starches and sugars, and so this melodrama wasn’t that surprising. However, it also wasn’t that bad- she’s been slowly expanding her range of palatable foods. I can’t really say that she’s a picky eater, because she will try new foods, occasionally even admitting to like them. What may seem “picky” one night might not on another, or to another parent. Because having a limited diet can have an impact on one’s health, scientists are trying to figure out what metrics can be used to classify a truly picky eater.
Figuring out what makes kids finicky
There are a lot of factors involved in a kid’s attitude towards food. Environmental feedback from parents and caregivers counts for a lot, but there’s evidence that kids all have an underlying predisposition for certain foods over others. One distinction that’s being made is cases where kids object to a meal because they don’t like the food, or if they’re objecting as a way to gain control over a situation. That’s sometimes easier said than done, as some kids seem to swing back and forth in their reactions to anything that’s not their favorite macaroni and cheese.
One truly measurable criteria may turn out to be genetics. Kids identified as “picky” by the adults in their lives had their DNA tested, with particular attention given to five genes related to taste. Out of those five, two genes were more likely to have variations in kids that turned their noses up to everything. Kids with very limited palates were most likely to have an unusual nucleotide on the TAS2R38 gene, and kids that turned meals into power struggles showed differences on their CA6 gene. Incidentally, both genes are associated with bitter taste perception, and so these kids’ objects may be tied to feeling extra sensitive to bitter flavors. Since evolution has used bitterness as a toxic defense mechanism in many species of plants, it’s not surprising that it would be an issue kids would fight about.
Minimal menu leads to damaged eyes
This doesn’t mean that picky eaters aren’t worth working with. Most veggies aren’t going to give them a dangerous dose of toxins, but it may just save them from serious vitamin deficiencies. A boy in Canada was recently brought to a hospital because his vision was deteriorating at an alarming rate, and could only make out a blur of movement if objects were dangled a foot in front of his face. Dry patches were found around the edge of his iris, and his cornea was somewhat disfigured.
Doctors eventually realized that he was severely vitamin A deficient, thanks to an extremely limited diet of lamb, pork, potatoes, apples, cucumbers and Cheerios. Without a trace of carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach or fish in his diet, the boy had essentially starved himself of a nutrient most of us don’t need to worry much about. Instead of eating his vitamin A, he was left to receive multiple doses of it intravenously, which restored much of his vision, but not all of it. At least the apples and Cheerios are helping the poor kid get some fiber.
Source: Got a picky eater? How 'nature and nurture' may be influencing eating behavior in young children, MedicalXpress.com
