Fussy eaters: born or bred?

IF mealtimes have become a battleground with your children, it may not be your parenting or cooking skills that are to blame.

Fussy eaters B+S

IF mealtimes have become a battleground with your children, it may not be your parenting or cooking skills that are to blame.

If your child is a fussy eater it may not be your parenting or culinary skills that are causing the problem, but your gene pool.

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A University College London study examined the eating habits of 5390 sets of twins and found that 78 per cent of fussiness is genetic and the other 22 per cent environmental.

Researchers say a child’s reluctance to try new foods is not necessarily the result of poor feeding practices, but can be partly attributed to genetics.

Just a phase?

While this research may offer relief to parents with picky progeny, we may be getting too scientific, says Brisbane dietitian Kate Di Prima, author of More Peas Please (Allen & Unwin). She believes fussy eating can be a normal developmental stage and is generally curable, or at least it can be worked with.

“Fussy eating is not unusual and most kids do tend to grow out of it,” Di Prima says. “Whether it’s inherited or not, I do believe parents can play a huge role in ensuring their kids are healthy eaters.

“It can be as simple as not allowing quite as much milk to be drunk during the day or ensuring young tastebuds aren’t tarnished too soon by introducing over-flavoured foods with high amounts of salt and sugar.

“If kids are milkaholics or only eating white pasta with tomato sauce and cheese every day they will be nutritionally deprived. And kids must eat a balanced diet for growth and development.”

So the genetic basis may need more investigation, but scientists do believe that the fussy-eating stage may be an evolutionary response aimed at ensuring the continuity of the human species.

Most children eat a wide variety of foods until they are about two years old, when many become “neophobes” – they have a fear of new foods.

The University College London researchers say toddlers’ tastebuds shut down around the time they start walking, ensuring that when the tots ran out of the cave at the beginning of time they weren’t putting everything in their mouths.

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In keeping with the evolutionary argument, it seems when kids are little they have highly sensitive tastebuds, which could be why they sometimes have a strong reaction to foods.

Thankfully, most neophobia disappears by the age of six.

Instil good habits

But parents shouldn’t wait for kids’ tastes to “mature”, but actively encourage a balanced diet, Di Prima says.

She advises parents to:

+ Lead by example. Eat healthily and don’t model fussiness or poor eating habits in front of children.

+ Hide the veg if you have to. “Kids will still get exposed to the flavour and texture of zucchini added to pasta sauce.”

+ Negotiate with older kids. Find out what they will eat and ask them to name some fruit and veg. Then encourage their involvement in planning meals.

+ Involve kids in cooking. Children are more likely to try something they have helped to make themselves.

+ Ensure vital nutrients are not omitted. If your child won’t eat meat, for example, ensure they get their iron from green leafy vegetables, iron-fortified cereals and legumes. More: Easy afternoon snacks for kids .

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