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While there is no strict definition of what makes a child a fussy eater, it’s something educators and parents should know how to tackle – and in rare cases it might be a sign of an underlying condition, Dr Jennifer Cohen a paediatric clinical dietitian at UNSW Medicine has said.
Dr Cohen has been working in childhood nutrition for more than 15 years, specialising in paediatric oncology nutrition – children’s diets during cancer treatment.
As the mother of a six -year-old and eight-year-old, Dr Cohen also acknowledges that fussy eating can be part of regular childhood development.
“It’s actually normal for a child to go through a fussy eating stage; up to 50 per cent of kids between one to two years old will be fussy eaters at some stage. We call that behavioural fussy eating and the theory behind why it happens is at that age is that their growth has slowed down,” Dr Cohen said.
“A child’s body is focusing on more mental development – talking, walking, becoming physically active. The theory is kids don’t need as much food – they’re not as hungry because they’re not growing as much” she explained.
A related theory is that while so much brain development is happening, the sensory system “almost shuts down” and because eating is such a sensory experience – involving taste, touch, smell, sound – “if your brain is occupied with other tasks rather than the senses, food just doesn’t taste as good or is not as enjoyable as it used to be” Dr Cohen noted.
For educators, this means that when they are working with the one to two-year-old age group, they are also working with the “perfect storm” of factors leading to behavioural fussy eating.
“To add to the changes going on in their body, we also have a toddler’s assertiveness to consider: it’s like trying to get your child dressed and to put their shoes on – the more you want them to do it, the less likely they’re going to comply,” she said.
On the basis of these factors, Dr Cohen said, it’s not unusual for a child who used to eat everything – textured and solid foods – to suddenly become a fussy eater at one to two years of age.
Although there’s no formal definition of fussy eating, a generally accepted understanding is that if a child is eating a low variety of foods (fewer than 20 different foods) or if they are removing entire food groups such as vegetables and meat, they are considered to be a fussy eater.
In addition, there is a difference between children who were fussy eaters from the moment they started on solid foods, including those who tended to remove foods but never went back to eating them, and children who changed their eating habits in line with the conditions outlined above.
“A child starts eating solid foods from four to six months old and they might take pureed food, but some can never take more than puree. Potentially, that’s because they haven’t learnt how to chew and swallow. If a child hasn’t learnt that, they will be unable to take more solid foods,” she said.
“There are multiple reasons why a child has not learnt how to chew and swallow; for example, some kids are highly sensitive to smells or touch and because food is such a sensory experience, eating certain foods might be unpleasant to them.”
While there are many reasons for fussy eating, for children who are fussy from day one, there are more likely to be other factors at play, she added.
Dr Cohen said about 10 per cent of children never grew out of fussy eating and remained picky eaters into adulthood.
“It’s an unfortunate number, but fussy eating can persist and it can become a problem if it turns into food aversion and that leads to food phobia. If someone has food phobia they are scared of food and to reverse that is very difficult. Sensory issues are also a challenge to rectify,” she said.
It is rare for fussy eating to hinder a child’s growth or develop into a condition as serious as scurvy, for example, which is a disease caused by nutritional deficiency of vitamin C from not eating fruit or vegetables.
“Generally, fussy eaters will still consume enough calories – they’re just not getting it from a good variety of food. So, the more common scenario in fussy eaters is to see things like nutrient deficiencies; for example, iron or zinc deficiencies can be a big problem or, if a child is not eating meat or dairy, they could become deficient in vitamin B12,” Dr Cohen said.
Paediatricians or dieticians usually detected such nutrient deficiencies before they developed into a bigger problem, she continued, however, and they advised at-risk children to take multivitamin supplements.
While fussy eating is part of normal childhood development, there are some suggestions to try to ensure it does not become a habit.
If children have already developed into fussy eaters and are consuming fewer and fewer different foods, below are some ideas to try in order to break the cycle.
Dr Cohen said it was also important to remember that fussy eating was not something which could be dealt with overnight.
“Reversing fussy eating takes a lot of time and a lot of patience; there’s no quick fix. There are many, many steps to take to get children to eat a vegetable they don’t like; aim for the small wins,” she said.
“Also consider the attitudes you want children to have about food as they get older. Provide constant positive reinforcement around food – but they shouldn’t see it as a ‘reward’ because that can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food as they get older.”
Dr Cohen suggests portraying food as a way of helping bodies grow and be strong, or to help children learn or play sport.
“It’s okay if they don’t eat because they’re full or are not hungry – teaching children how to listen to their body’s cues is so important.”
Source: https://thesector.com.au/
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