Pickiness, actually, is genetic! Or at least partially.
But for parents who worry that their children will never eat anything but chocolate milk, Gummi vitamins and the occasional grape, a new study offers some relief. Researchers examined the eating habits of 5,390 pairs of twins between 8 and 11 years old and found children’s aversions to trying new foods are mostly inherited.
The message to parents: It’s not your cooking, it’s your genes.
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.
Most children eat a wide variety of foods until they are around 2, when they suddenly stop. The phase can last until the child is 4 or 5. It’s an evolutionary response, researchers believe. Toddlers’ taste buds shut down at about the time they start walking, giving them more control over what they eat. “If we just went running out of the cave as little cave babies and stuck anything in our mouths, that would have been potentially very dangerous,” Dr. Cooke said.
A natural skepticism of new foods is a healthy part of a child’s development, said Ellyn Satter, a child nutrition expert whose books, including “Child of Mine: Feeding With Love and Good Sense” (Bull Publishing, 2000), have developed a cult following among parents of picky eaters.
You is a rockin' zombie.
I mean, sure, I was hanging out with the band and shit, but I'm old and I need a freaking nap now.
That car looks very cool, but I wonder if you can just unzip the fabric cover and throw it in the washing machine when the bugs and mud of every day driving get splattered on it.
A helpful guide to the sciences: Fields Arranged by Purity
Cool car concept. I'm bemused by the passenger-safety-in-crash ability of fabric, though.
Unspecified -ma for Dana.
I'm with amych in the belief that some food pickiness is hard-wired, whether texture issues or latent and undiagnosed allergy or sensibility. And also in that lack of exposure can lead to resistance to trying new things.
StE used to teethe on frozen green pepper rings, his very favoritest thing. Hated onions, though.
Yay for new kitchens!
And Sue, it sounds like you should have coffee before you go in search of coffee. I'm sorry about the dangerous quest this morning.
Dad update:
He was discharged from the hospital 2 days. He's understandably tired, but is up and walking. His diabetes is all frelled, and his blood sugar levels are crazy so they have him on insulin. But other than that, he's okay.
Cool car concept. I'm bemused by the passenger-safety-in-crash ability of fabric, though.
Well, its internal frame would provide passenger protection. Just like it does for cars with plastic or fiberglass bodies. (Saturns, Corvettes, etc.)
Most children eat a wide variety of foods until they are around 2, when they suddenly stop. The phase can last until the child is 4 or 5. It’s an evolutionary response, researchers believe. Toddlers’ taste buds shut down at about the time they start walking, giving them more control over what they eat. “If we just went running out of the cave as little cave babies and stuck anything in our mouths, that would have been potentially very dangerous,” Dr. Cooke said.
Thanks for posting this! I knew pickiness was at least partly genetic, but I'd been worried I'd done something wrong because Annabel has grown more finicky over time. When she was 18 months or so she'd at least sample anything you offered to her. Now, NSM. It's not that she doesn't like strong flavors, it's just hard to get her to try anything new.
