Scientists Explain Why Children Are Picky About Food

Children pay particular attention to the consistency of the food they are offered. This meticulousness reaches its peak at the age of six or seven. Experts from Denmark and Australia explained how children’s preferences change with age and how healthy eating habits can be instilled in them, taking into account the patterns that emerge.

Appetite and food preferences depend on a variety of factors. A recent study found that sleep quantity affected teens’ diets: Those who were sleep deprived ate fewer fruits and vegetables during the day and consumed about 12 grams of sugar per day.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Deakin University in Australia have discovered patterns that explain the “pickiness” in eating that is specific to preschool and primary school children. It is related to the consistency of the food and the protective mechanisms of the child’s psyche. The results of the study were published Journal of Texture Studies.

Scientists conducted an experiment with 485 children aged between 5 and 12. They were asked to choose what they wanted to eat: First, the children were shown pictures of the food, then they were presented with real food. The foods examined in the study included bread, orange juice, peanut butter, strawberry jam, yogurt and tomato soup. The children were also offered different versions of these products, such as strawberry yogurt with or without fruit, peanut butter with or without nuts.

Six-year-olds preferred products with the same consistency in 76% of cases. This figure was the highest among all age groups. The researchers concluded that food selectivity and consistency gradually increase after weaning, reaching a peak at exactly six or seven years of age and then gradually decreasing until the child becomes a teenager.

According to scientists, the reluctance to eat foods with heterogeneous consistency may be associated with a psychological mechanism that protects the child from potentially dangerous, poisonous foods. Gradually becoming independent, children explore the world around them and, due to possible danger, are wary of unfamiliar or unusually prepared foods.

“As children reach school age, they may become increasingly influenced by their classmates and other people, which may lead them to want to try new foods and broaden their horizons. We see that the proportion of people choosing a food that is fragmented increases with the age of the study participants,” the authors of the publication explained.

Researchers advise parents who have a problem with pickiness in their children to understand this natural stage of development. According to them, it is impossible to force the child to eat “right” or to encourage “harmful” foods. In the first case, negative associations are formed with certain dishes, and in the second case, a desire to eat only “tastes” arises, without paying attention to healthy, nutritious foods.

It may take up to 15 attempts for a child to get used to a new type of food, but there should always be the opportunity to eat not only something new but also more familiar foods.