Picky Eaters

Odds are you probably have one of these in your household. My fifth grader has been a super picky eater since she was a toddler, opting only for white foods -- processed foods involving white sugar or white flour, or starchy foods. French fries, pasta, chicken nuggets and Cheerios are the staples of her diet. Somehow, she has managed to grow into a tall, healthy and smart little girl. But I still have trouble reconciling the fact that her diet is essentially protein free! Three's no peanut butter, eggs or meat of any kind "except" for one certain brand of chicken nuggets that she has been eating for the last eight years. She used to eat hot dogs until she found out they were made from beef. Now, because of her professed love for cows, she won't touch them. In fact, she has taken to telling people she's a "cow-etarian."

I've asked myself, where did I go wrong? Was it something I did when she was a baby, perhaps not introducing her to enough variety of baby food? Or is it my weakness as a mom, letting her have what she wants just so she will eat food and not go to bed hungry? Much to my relief, it's probably none of those things!

A significant new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
finds that picky eating is actually genetic in more than three-fourths of children. So we can ease back on the blame a bit and also ease up on our kids, says register dietician Keri Glassman. Now I'm off to make yet another box of mac and cheese. See you tomorrow.