What Picky Eaters Really Don ’ t Eat?

Discussion Picky eating does not have one definition and is a broad term. In general, picky eaters are described as limiting the amount and types of food, and a refusal to eat novel foods. Normal healthy children often will reject different types of food they have accepted before in their second year of life. They tend to place more value on food properties such as the color or texture. Feeding problems occur in 25-45% of normally developing children and in up to 80% of developmentally delayed children. Most of the problems are acute issues and resolve within a short time with reasonable guidance and interventions. Most children have resolution of picky eating behaviors by 6 years of age. Parents and other caregivers can become quite stressed about the picky eating. They worry about the child’s health, as potentially picky eating can cause poor nutrition or the child to become underweight. They also are worried about behavioral or emotional problems such as tantrums, aggression, being oppositional, depression, anxiety and social withdrawal. Studies have been mixed regarding being a picky eater as a child and correlation with eating disorders as an adolescent or adult. Risk factors such as having unpleasant meals or conflicts around meals/eating, food avoidance, and eating slowly which do occur for some picky eaters, are the same risk factors for eating disorders. Though most picky eaters will have resolution quite quickly, others will last longer but resolve within ...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news