Why is my child a fussy eater?
Why is my child a fussy eater?
Being a Nutritional Therapist, the people I see in my clinics in Oxfordshire are often asking me about this. I am particularly interested in this topic because many of my friends, including my immediate family, have young children and at some stage or other, all seem to have gone through a stage of being a fussy eater. I know that if I was a parent, I too would be concerned if my child was eating only a limited number of foods. So, the big question is, “Are children born only liking a limited number of foods or do they develop this habit?”
I believe we are all born unique with individual food preferences. For example, some people like broccoli and others do not. This could be due to the taste, the texture or the colour of broccoli. We all have different things we like and dislike.
I remember back in 2000 when I was training as a Montessori teacher. Marie Montessori witnessed that a child would chose the correct and the right amount of food if they were given a wide choice. We need to remember that she lived and worked at the beginning of the 20th century when there was little sugar and no processed foods.
Hunger is a physical response telling us we need more energy. When a child eats processed foods, the chemicals stimulate sight and smell which overrides the hunger response causing them to eat these nutrient deficient foods when they are not necessarily hungry.
In the second year of life, children do not grow as fast as the first year and therefore need less calories and consequently less food. This can be misinterpreted as fussy eating.
As a child becomes more independent they want to more control. Many parents will ‘force feed’ their child but a better approach would be to give the child choice. Although a parent has no control over what a child swallows, they do have control of what they serve. Saying this, it is important to remember that the parents remain the boss!
Interestingly, some research has shown that breastfed children are less likely to be fussy eaters because they are exposed to all the different foods that their mothers are eating (Mennella et al, 2004). Apparently this develops the children’s pallet! Formula milk only presents one flavour.
We must also take into consideration the development of the individual child and their digestive system. After the first year, most children should be able to tolerate a wide variety of flavours.
A study in Archives of Family Medicine (Gillman et al, 2000) found that children who sat down and ate meals as a family made better choices choosing more vegetables and nutrient rich foods.
Children with autism and learning difficulties can also be very fussy eaters. This can be due to distorted sensory input. Often these children’s minds are so full of toxins that food tastes completely different to them. The taste, texture and feel of the food can be very off putting for these people. These children and adults may also have an overgrowth of Candida Albician’s which causes them to crave sweet and high carbohydrate foods.
I hope that I have shown you why your child is perhaps fussy about their food. You would be very welcome to give me a call if you would like to discuss your child’s health further.
References
Gillman MW, Rifas-Shiman SL, Frazier, L, Rockett HRH, Camargo CA, Field AE, Berkey CS, Colditz GA (2000) Family Dinner and Diet Quality Among Older Children and Adolescents. Archives of Family Medicine 9:235-340
Mennella JA, Griffin CE, Bauchamp GK (2004) Flavour programming during infancy. Pediatrics 113 (4) 840-845
