Fussy eating is genetic - science!

[bookbard]

New study using twins concluded that picky eating is genetic and not 'bad parenting'. https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/sep/20/fussy-eating-in-children-largely-down-to-genetics-research-shows

Feel free to insert whatever thing your kid does or does not do, and stop blaming yourself. The older I get, the more I realise how much is down to individual genes. Doesn't mean we 'don't do anything' (generally it means we work harder!) but let go of some of the guilt.

[maize]

Yeah--nature and nurture interact of course, and each plays a role in human development,  but nature accounts for far more of the equation than we like to admit.

[gardenmom5]

Yep.  I had two that would, and do eat about anything,  and two that are picky.  One has significantly expanded her palate in adulthood.   The other, not so much.  We don't count dudeling. 

I was pretty picky... then I married dh.   An adult palate can handle more variety. I still refuse to eat liver, or pickled herring  (with or without sour cream....).  Dh is very food motivated...

[HomeAgain]

There are a lot of factors that go into pickiness.  I smell EVERYTHING.  Every little nuance, hint, whiff....so a lot of foods growing up would be...is there a word for overscented, like loud is for hearing?  That.  Raw veggies were fine, cooked were not. Certain veggies were always a no.  And then add in textures to that as well, and even mild things like peas were a no-no.

It doesn't surprise me in the least that youngest ds has had food aversions of his own.  Usually coming down to texture.

[Carrie12345]

2 of my 5 kids are/have been very picky, 2 have been adventurous, and one is pretty average. Like I had time to food-parent 5 kids 3 different ways, lol. And yet, people have always wanted to blame me. (No credit for the others’ eating habits, of course.)

[alysee]

So cool! I was never picky really. I've always hated mushrooms and as a kid I hated chocolate. My husband was a picky eater growing up and he's bettee as an adult but it's still a long list to me.

Most of my kids once they hit age 8 become less picky. So far my 6yo is picky(but not the worst!) And my 12yo is picky. So really only 2 of 6 are picky. My 2yo is not picky but in my experience my kids become picky from ages 3-8. 

[historically accurate]

I have one with ARFID, one who is average (more adventurous the older she got), and one who eats most stuff and always has. My brother probably has ARFID as well, but they didn't diagnose that when I was a kid. 

Like Carrie said above, it's tough to accommodate different eating desires/styles. Unfortunately, we tended to default to the most picky palate - smells really bother her, so making a second dish not for her was a problem if it was on the table. The open concept kitchen in our house is a real barrier to her eating. 

[knitgrl]

Ds11 is our picky eater. He has been since he was a baby -- at 8 months, he was just done with breastfeeding. I breastfed everyone else until 14 months. The no weaning part was nice, I guess, but it came on so sudden. Just one night he wouldn't, and despite trying again several times, that was the end of it. 🤷‍♀️

[DawnM]

My husband is a picky eater.  I told him that if we had a picky eater, I was making HIM deal with it because I had to eat all sorts of nasty things as a child and I had to do it with a smile on my face (ok, not really, but I wasn't allowed to complain if we were at someone else's house).   

My husband has gotten better through the years.  Being married to me, who hate bland foods, and likes to explore food from around the globe, married to a chicken and potatoes guy.  😂

[Brittany1116]

My dad will eat almost anything. My mom is super picky about temps, sugar and salt level, won't eat anything new as an adult really. She eats a variety of foods, but they are all foods she grew up with and she isn't likely to venture out of that. There are many international foods she has never heard of or tasted even though all of her kids have. I feel like I am average; I like a ton of foods, I have a few I prefer not to eat but wouldn't always turn down if served, I am a wimp with spice, and dislike some mushy textures (overripe banana bad, mashed potato good). There are a few things I can't stomach the idea of (offal, bugs, a lot of wild game). My kids are split- one eats anything and everything, and the other is mildly to moderately picky about typical kid aversions.