Often parents say ‘My son/daughter is very picky. He/she will never eat that.’ And while that may be true today, it doesn’t have to always be the case. Tastebuds are quite complex, and we can teach children to like to foods that are healthy just like we can teach them to like foods that are unhealthy.
Let’s stop calling our children “picky eaters,” especially in their presence! Why? There’s a good chance that they will live up to that label after hearing it over and over and think that forever they will be picky. But taste preferences are NOT static, and for almost all children, pickiness CAN be overcome! Instead of telling me that your child is a “picky eater”, tell me that your child is “still learning to eat a lot of new foods and we are working very hard.”
Dr. Namili Fernando , MD MHD, Dr. Yum Project
Babies are born with 30,000 taste buds (adults have only 10,000). In fact, taste buds begin to develop as early as the seventh week of pregnancy. It is thought that babies begin to taste in the womb. Studies have shown that foods eaten by the mother while pregnant or nursing are usually liked by young children once they begin to eat. Pregnant women who eat the most diverse diets help to influence a child’s willingness to eat a variety of foods once they are born. If you’re pregnant or nursing, try to eat as much variety as you can.
Tastebuds regenerate every two weeks. You’ve likely noticed this if you have ever burnt your mouth on a piece of pizza. For a short while afterwards, your food tastes a little different until the tastebuds regenerate. You may also have experienced this if you have ever tried to change your diet. A few weeks after you make a change, you probably notice that foods you use to love aren’t even appealing anymore. For example, if you cut out salty foods, you’ll find that foods you used to love now taste too salty and you don’t care for them anymore. Our tastebuds adapt and change to our environment.
There are 5 types of tastebuds: sweet; salty; butter; savory; and sour. One misconception is that babies and young children only like sweet foods. It is true, however, that babies do tend to favor sweet flavors. This is believed to be so that they will like their mother’s breastmilk. While they may show a preference for sweet foods, young children do have all five types of tastebuds. With patience and persistence, these can be developed, and we can teach our children to eat a wide variety of foods.
So how do we do this?
1. Begin early and introduce a wide variety of flavors and textures. If your child is older, you can still change their food preferences. It is never too late to learn new things, and that is also true for our tastebuds.
2. Let very young children play with their food. So much of childhood is about experimenting with their world through a sense of play. While you may not care for this at the Thanksgiving dinner table, allow exploration at your everyday dinner table. Young children learn through playing, and eating is no different.
3. For a food that a child doesn’t immediately care for, introduce small amounts at a time. When our children were little, we had a salad almost every night and they weren’t big fans. Alright, if I’m being honest, they’re still not big fans, but they eat them and don’t complain. I’ll take that as a win! We started slowly by making them eat one piece of baby spinach, then gradually two and so on. Fast forward a few weeks and we had salad eaters!
4. Be persistent. It can take up to 15 exposures for tastebuds to change and a baby’s brain to register that they like a particular food. Most parents try 2-3 times and then decide their child doesn’t like that food. Don’t give up!
5. Involve children in the prep and cooking process. In addition to having fun, you’re also building in a sense of ownership and pride that will result in them being more willing to try new foods at the table.
Children who help to prepare their own meals eat significantly more vegetables than those who are not involved in cooking.
Dr. Klazine van der host, Nutritionist
6. Once a child likes a new food, start on the next one. Use Dr. Greger’s list of 12 foods that we should all eat every day as a guide to make sure you are maximizing all the nutrients that their body needs.
Need more?
Pediatrician Nimali Fernando MD, known as Dr. Yum, started the “Dr. Yum Project” to teach her patients and their families about the benefits of eating healthy. Today they offer online classes for families with young children along with recipes and a “meal-o-matic” to make cooking with the foods you have on hand even easier. These will help to make preparing dinner easier while providing additional support as you work towards feeding your young child new foods. Check them out!
I’ve tried all of this and my child still won’t eat new foods. Now what?
Take a short break and then try again. At some point, most young children go through a period of ‘neophobia’ when they stop trying new things. There is a belief that this stems from an ancestral intuition from consuming foods that can be harmful. While we know we are giving our children safe foods, a toddler’s innate sense can still cause them to push back. Some believe that this stage peaks around 18 months to 2 years of age. Just because a child does not eat something today, doesn’t mean that he or she won’t be open to it in the future.
Nope, still no luck.
About 10% of children are thought to be very picky eaters. If this appears to be the case for your child, talk to your pediatrician about experts in your area that can provide further support.
Most of all, while this can be a frustrating process, it can also be a fun one. Enjoy this time with your son or daughter. The more relaxed you are and fun you make it, the higher your chance of success. You got this!
Healthy Happy Eating!