Apparently, it might take them a really long time to outgrow the problem. As in, like, never.
(Thanks to Laurie B. for tipping me off about this story.)
kids and food, in school and out
by Bettina Elias Siegel
[…] own son has certainly disabused me of the latter two notions. I’ve also since shared with you stories of adult picky eaters who are crippled by their food selectivity, even actively avoiding […]
Em says
Wow, fascinating! But I will say the headline is misleading, and I’d venture that most kids who are picky eaters do grow out of it. I sure did. Sounds almost like a developmental stage that people get stuck at or something.
bettina elias siegel says
Em: I agree I misled with the headline, though not intentionally. I have no fear that the average picky eater is set up for lifelong problems like the people in this article. Was trying to be tongue in cheek but may have failed! – Bettina
Karen says
…and they most likely inherited that trait from one or both parents. Not that it’s your fault!! 😉
Lenee says
I know a lot of adult ‘picky-eaters’ are classified as ‘super tasters,’ but I thought it was interesting that the article mentioned that many have tendencies of OCD.
The woman who takes a bite of pepperoni pizza says it’s a shock to her system and then her brain freezes up, not allowing her to like it. I can just imagine what a super taster would experience if they try pepperoni, with it’s loads of grease and powerful spices.
Then the other woman who tried and wanted to like an apricot. Did her stomach churn because it was trying to digest a fruit it had never experienced before, or was it the psychological impact of consuming something she deems inedible, or a combination of the two?
This makes one wonder–what came first, the chicken or the egg? Are these people super tasters and because of the social impact of their dietary restrictions they have developed OC tendencies, and in Ms. Hills case, symptoms of ADD? Or were these things there from the start and just contributed to the picky-eating?
On a separate note, I do hope Ms. Hill learns not to bargain with her daughter to get her to eat more breakfast. These types of food practices tend to lead to life-long eating disorders regardless of whether one is a super taster, picky eater, etc. Continue to educate with a food chart, but know your child will not starve. I hope she gets her daughter involved in a similar program for picky eaters so she can possible overcome some of the negative lifestyle and health issues that come with picky eating, early on.
Very interesting article!
Lenée says
I wanted to add an interesting comment I read after this article….one gentleman posted the following—
“Picky eater” only appears in developed nations. For the rest of the world, you can’t be picky with two bucks a day. It validates one thing, its all in the mind.
Hmmmmmm…..makes you wonder…..
Lenée says
And yet another interesting reply!
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According to the article, “Researchers…say textures and smell can account for a picky eater’s limited diet. Some will only eat foods with one consistent texture or one taste.” This behavior is common in children (and presumably adults) with sensory processing disorder — not OCD as stated in the article. Sensory processing issues can manifest themselves at a very early age, and it’s certainly not the fault of the (frantic) parents or an “indulgent” society. I know of an infant who literally had no idea how to eat solid food for no discernible medical reason other than sensory processing issues. The story had a happy ending due to a feeding tube from the age of 18 months to about 7 years old, plus an extremely hard-working and persistent speech therapist who helped broaden his acceptance of different food textures and tastes. The kid now likes pizza, pears without skin, broccoli, rice pilaf with almonds (!) and many other foods. Especially if you have a child who is a truly picky eater, visit spdfoundation.net for more information about sensory processing issues or check out past articles in the New York Times. (In other words, WSJ missed a major part of the story).
Lenée says
Oops! Sorry ’bout the added verbiage on last post…..didn’t realize it was there when I’d copied and pasted…
Tracy says
Hello-
I am a speech language pathologist and have worked with many children with sensory processing disorders and feeding disorders. I agree with Lenee. It sounds like she has a sensory processing deficit. Many times in feeding therapy you have to take small baby steps to encourage people to eat. For example, start by smelling the food, then touching it with your hands, then touching it on the lips, etc. There are even feeding clinics in some hospitals to help patients deal with this. It also sounds to me like this woman has anxiety (food anxiety). I have seen patients who have had anxiety and worry they will throw up, get sick from the food, have a bad taste in the mouth, etc. My son has food allergies and sometimes has food anxiety. He worries about getting sick from eating something with milk in it. He remembers being really sick and stresses out if he thinks he ate something with milk, even if its just a small amount. I really hope this woman gets the help she needs! It is a serious disorder!
Em says
Oh, I don’t think the misleading headline was you, Bettina! The article itself has a very similar one.
NotCinderell says
My guess here (and I’m not speaking from any authority) is that there’s a difference between picky eating like the type described in the article and picky eating the way most children are. The adults mentioned in the article all have a few things in common: they know that they’re unusual, they know that their problems make social interaction difficult, and they are embarrassed.
They don’t spend time and energy trying to convince people that their food is disgusting, look at others’ food and go “ewwwwwww” etc. This is bad behavior, indulged in childhood and allowed to continue to adulthood, and it gives people a certain measure of control. I think that it’s definitely possible that some picky eaters are born and some are made. The former might be in the category of “supertasters” while the latter are just obnoxious.
bettina elias siegel says
Hi NotCinderell and welcome to The Lunch Tray. I really didn’t mean to conflate kid picky eating with what’s described in the WSJ article. Clearly there’s something altogether different going on there. It may indeed be a “supertaster” issue or something of that sort. Thank you for leaving a comment – please come back and share your thoughts on future posts. – Bettina
sherry says
I am Granny persona non-grata for suggesting to my daughter in law, who I love dearly, that our soon to be 8 year old grandson is a supremely picky eater, getting worse, and needs our positive attention. This child was also a bedwetter until a couple of months ago, also after an unwelcome intervention on my part encouraging a doctor consultation (he stopped wetting his bed two weeks after the doctor visit). Mom says to this child BEFORE he tastes anything new that “it’s ok not to like it” if she doesn’t think he would like it. I suspect she was a late bedwetter-picky eater and is “protecting” this child. I suggested that we could all help by eliminating junk food from his diet, which is pretty much all that he eats. We have cooked special food for him, which he invariably doesn’t eat. I’m not doing that anymore and asked Mom if she was ok with him not eating anything at my house, but didn’t get a particularly positive response. He has spit food on the floor at parties with no response from Mom other than it’s ok not to like it. What to do?
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Sherry: Wow, it sounds like your daughter-in-law has a real challenge here. I’m certainly not an expert in this area but when it comes to cases of extreme pickiness like this, I generally agree with kid/food expert Ellyn Satter who would, I believe, advocate much of what you suggest like no more short-order cooking and healthier offerings. Take a look at Child of Mine by Satter and if you like her philosophy, maybe gently suggest that your daughter-in-law also read it? Of course, these MIL/DIL situations are always sticky and in the end you may have to cede to her simply because it is her child, even if you strongly disagree with her approach. Good luck and let me know what happens.