Picky Eating and Sensory Issues

Unraveling the connection between picky eating and sensory issues can be a pivotal step in setting our children up for success.

As parents, we all strive to provide our children with a balanced and nutritious diet. However, many of us have experienced the frustration of dealing with a picky eater when a child refuses to try our latest dinner. 

Picky eating can be a common challenge faced by parents, but understanding its underlying causes is crucial in helping our children develop a healthy relationship with food. 

In this blog post, we will explore why children become picky eaters, the distinction between normal and abnormal picky eating, and how sensory issues contribute to this behavior. We will also discuss effective strategies to overcome picky eating and provide parents with practical methods to support their picky eaters.

The Traditional View of Why Children Become Picky Eaters

Children develop preferences for certain foods based on a multitude of factors. The traditional view of picky eating ignores or disregards the physiological component involved in picky eating.

One of the main reasons cited for picky eating in children is their innate desire for control and independence. As they grow and assert their autonomy, they may start expressing their food preferences more strongly. Is this true to an extent? Sure. But this is far from the main reason for fussy eating.

Some children are more sensitive to taste, texture, and smell, making them more likely to reject certain foods. This is another mainstream claim. The question that remains to be asked is why are they sensitive to textures, tastes and smells?

Other factors such as a limited exposure to diverse foods, negative mealtime experiences, or imitating the eating habits of peers or siblings can also contribute to picky eating. These are definitely contributing factors, though usually not the only factor. 

Normal vs. Abnormal Picky Eating

It is important to differentiate between normal and abnormal picky eating patterns. Normal picky eating is characterized by mild food preferences or aversions that do not significantly impact a child’s growth or overall nutrition. 

Usually around the age of 2 or 3 a toddler will begin to express food preferences. As parents it is our job to recognize these preferences along with making sure our toddler does not exclude nutrient dense foods.

On the other hand, abnormal picky eating, or extreme picky eating, involves severe food aversions, limited food variety, and refusal to try new foods, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies and compromised health. 

We all seem to know the child that will only eat “white” foods: bread, pasta, rice, etc. This is a major sign to look at gut function or dysfunction. Similarly a child that will eat “only fruit” is not consuming balanced nutrition.

If you have concerns about your child’s eating habits, consulting with a healthcare professional, such as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, can provide valuable guidance.

The Link between Picky Eating and Sensory Issues

Sensory processing issues play a significant role in picky eating behaviors. Some children have heightened sensitivity to certain sensory stimuli, such as taste, texture, and smell, also called sensory food aversion.

Foods with strong flavors or unfamiliar textures can be overwhelming sensory input for them, leading to food refusal or restrictive food intake. 

Conversely, some children may seek out certain sensory experiences and prefer specific textures or flavors, limiting their willingness to try new foods. 

As I’ve written about extensively, picky eating as a manifestation of sensory food issues is definitely something I’ve encountered, and something I find to be extremely common with sensory processing disorder (diagnosed or suspected) and autism spectrum disorder.

Oral motor issues such as oral ties (tongue tie) may also be involved, but this would be something to discuss with an expert in that field.

Recognizing and addressing these sensory challenges can help parents better understand and support their picky eaters.

Root Cause of Picky Eating

If picky eating is an issue where a child is significantly restricting food groups, you can bet there is some amount of gut dysbiosis. 

What is dysbiosis? It means that the microflora in the gut– the various microbes, bacteria, yeasts, fungi etc- that make up our microbiome, are out of balance. 

The gut becomes out of balance for many reasons, but the general cause will usually be accumulated toxicity and/or nutritional deficiencies. 

Talking about toxins, is out of the scope of this blog post (but a significant component), but let’s quickly chat about three sub categories I see often. 

Nutritional Deficiencies

The first is nutritional deficiencies. Deficiencies may appear in numerous forms, and since I’m not a doctor I can’t diagnose them, but I can tell you what I see. I see with my eyes a child that doesn’t look well. 

Our current culture of acceptance tells us to ignore what our eyes see, but if you see someone that looks underweight (or overweight) that has pasty skin or looks sickly, you can suspect deficiencies. In children, it often manifests as developmental delays. 

If there is dysbiosis in the gut, one will accumulate nutrient deficiencies because of not absorbing or being able to utilize nutrients we get from food. These deficiencies further exacerbate the dysbiosis, often because we crave foods which feed the “pathogenic” bacteria in the gut.

Aside: our gut and our bodies are an eco system, so it’s not fair to label certain bacterias as “pathogenic” and others as “beneficial”, so much as understanding that they all have a role in our internal ecosystem and a relationship with each other.

Meat Aversion

Meat restriction is often caused by gut dysfunction. More often than not, children avoiding meat have low stomach acid. If your body knows you doesn’t have the required acidity to break down meat, you will naturally want to restrict that. Our bodies are so smart!

That said, this is again related to deficiencies, often in the nutrients required to create sufficient stomach acid (such as B vitamins and zinc, but not only).

Food Sensitivities or Allergies

Food allergies or sensitivities can make meal time really challenging! In addition to whatever sensitivities or allergies you may be avoiding, picky eating may indicate even more food sensitivities that you don’t realize.

Symptoms of food sensitivities are extremely variable. They could be digestive distress such as constipation, diarrhea, bloating or gas, but they can also manifest as: ADHD, irritability, outbursts, tantrums, anxiety, anger, hyperactivity. 

Other signs may be frequent ear infections, ear wax, bloody noses, swollen tonsils, ENT symptoms such as mouth sores, cracked lips, bad breath, coated tongue.

And even seemingly random symptoms such as skin issues, growing pains, sleeping problems, or bedwetting. I have seen literally all of these in some combination with clients that ultimately choose to use the GAPS diet for bringing their body into balance.

Ultimately we need to bring the body back into balance, but in the interim, avoiding food sensitivities [food colors/additives, conventional wheat, conventional dairy are common culprits] can be a good bandaid approach and help reduce picky eating.

Tips for Overcoming Picky Eating: Basic Strategies

1. Gradual Exposure

Introduce new foods gradually and repeatedly, allowing your child to become familiar with them without feeling pressured to eat. Offer small portions to encourage exploration. Research shows that repeated exposure is imperative to accepting new foods and flavors. 

2. Positive Role Modeling

Set an example by enjoying a wide variety of foods yourself. Children are more likely to try new foods if they see their parents or caregivers enjoying them. I highly suggest a family dinner time whenever possible.

3. Food Presentation

Make meals visually appealing by incorporating colorful fruits and vegetables, arranging food in fun shapes, or creating a food tasting plate with a variety of options. Engaging your child’s senses can help stimulate their interest in trying new foods.

4. Involvement in Meal Preparation

Encourage your child to participate in age-appropriate meal preparation activities. This can increase their sense of ownership and curiosity about the foods being prepared.

This in my opinion is the absolute best way to get children to try new foods, even if you end up with a messy kitchen and the meal takes three times as long to prepare!

5. Help with Feeding

Sometimes you will find success with offering to feed your child, and sometime you will make more gains by letting them feed themselves. Experiment with what works.

Sensory food play for picky eaters can help for some but not for others. Remember that kids change their minds just like adults and younger kids have short and fickle attention spans, so just because feeding with a spoon helped one day, doesn’t mean that will be the trick for the next day as well.

6. Reducing Processed Food Consumption

To bring the body into balance, we need to change the balance of flora in the microbiome.

GAPS is the most natural way to create lasting change, but reducing processed foods especially sugar, refined carbohydrates and anything with additives will greatly help with opening up the palate to natural foods.

Methods Parents Can Use with Their Picky Eaters

1. Create a Positive Mealtime Environment

Establish a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere during meals. Avoid pressure or negative comments about food choices. Make mealtimes a time for family connection and conversation.

2. Patience and Persistence

Understand that overcoming picky eating takes time. Be patient and persistent, consistently offering a variety of nutritious foods and encouraging your child to explore new tastes and textures.

3. Seek Professional Support

If your child’s picky eating persists or is causing significant stress, seeking guidance from a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner can provide personalized strategies and support tailored to your child’s specific needs.

How to Overcome Picky Eating

Picky eating in children can be a challenging issue for parents, but understanding the underlying causes is key to finding effective solutions.

By recognizing the connection between picky eating and sensory issues, parents can implement strategies that promote a positive relationship with food and encourage their children to explore new flavors and textures.

Remember, patience, persistence, and seeking professional support when needed can help your picky eater develop a healthy relationship with food and support their overall well-being.

Are you a parent dealing with the challenges of picky eating and sensory issues in your child? Learn more about how we can help you support these issues with nutritional therapy or GAPS diet coaching.

References:

Wasantwisut E. (1997). Nutrition and development: other micronutrients’ effect on growth and cognition. The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health, 28 Suppl 2, 78–82.

Luo, R., Shi, Y., Zhou, H., Yue, A., Zhang, L., Sylvia, S., Medina, A., & Rozelle, S. (2015). Micronutrient deficiencies and developmental delays among infants: evidence from a cross-sectional survey in rural China. BMJ open, 5(10), e008400. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008400

Spill M, Callahan E, Johns K, et al. Repeated Exposure to Foods and Early Food Acceptance: A Systematic Review [Internet]. Alexandria (VA): USDA Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review; 2019 Apr. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REPEATED EXPOSURE (TIMING, QUANTITY, AND FREQUENCY) TO FOODS AND EARLY FOOD ACCEPTANCE? Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582166/