Most picky eating harmless, but can signal emotional woes

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that more than a fifth of the children studied were selective eaters. Erin’s diet was limited to waffles and pancakes; grilled cheese; peanut butter and crackers and some fruits, Ms. Graham said. While 11-year-old Charlotte will eat nearly anything, Eloise, who is 5, is much pickier when it comes to food. No spices. If I make soup, it can’t have onion pieces or celery, just broth.

(How to Get Your Little Ones to Eat Veggies?). “She was really hindered socially”, said Ms. Graham.

“The question for many parents and physicians is: when is picky eating truly a problem?” There might be more going on than what isn’t meeting his or her mouth. If your child is a picky eater, the researchers suggest you talk to your doctor about treatment options.

A new study has revealed that picky eating in kids may have more to do with their emotional state than their taste buds, in certain cases. This means the children were so restrictive in their food choices that it inhibited their ability to eat outside of the home.

And researchers say more kids with typical pickiness, such as kids who refuse to eat their vegetables, usually have a “normal dislike”, and these are the kids typically outgrow their pickiness as they mature.

Children with both moderate and severe selective eating habits showed symptoms of anxiety and other mental conditions.

Although children with moderate picky eating did not show an increased likelihood of formal psychiatric diagnoses, children with severe selective eating were more than twice as likely to also have a diagnosis of depression. They are more likely to avoid food and to have problems swallowing.

Experts from the science community say that fussy children might display a signal of acute mental problems in their eating habits that are not to be ignored.

While traditional forms of therapy could help and stop certain foods from producing anxiety in selective eaters, these will not work in children with heightened senses. Around 18 percent of the kids in the study had it, according to The New York Times. “But because these children are seeing impairment in their health and well-being now, we need to start developing ways to help these parents and doctors know when and how to intervene”.

The authors concluded that the term “picky eating” is now obsolete and that SE implies an impairment better characterized as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).

They do have some tips for parents of all picky eaters as well. Although Erin hasn’t been screened for an anxiety disorder, she was prone to anxiety, her mother said.

Most parents have encountered kids who like a food one day, then decide they hate it the next.

Copeland suggested that they want to continue following up with this cohort to see how long these problems can extend and if they affect other areas of functioning as well.