Picky eating is genetic...but parents can help (a little)

Researchers the University of Illinois have been studying picky eating in children for a decade now, and its official: it exists. Its not just something a parent makes up because they dont feel like fighting with their child for the umpteenth time.

In a study that came out yesterday, they found picky eating is genetically related to a stronger ability to taste bitter foods, like many researchers had previously thought. Pass the broccoli? No thanks. In the group of 152 preschoolers, the picky eaters were likely to have two genes (TAS2R38 and CA6), both of which are known to cause bitter sensitivity.

But, thats not the end of the story. Researcher Natasha Chong Coles thinks picky eating follows the orchid/dandelion model in that a child can be a sensitive taster but doesnt become a full-on picky eater without other conditions like a resistive personality and a non-supportive environment. So, its yuck plus stubbornness plus parenting. Like everything else about your child, its complicated.

Complicated means theres room for change, though, which is good news. If picky eating is not totally geneticif theres an environmental or parenting component to itwe might be able to improve the situation. Using empathy, family culture, or maybe some form of discipline, parents might actually be able to draw their kiddos out of the french fry cave. Some would face a more uphill battle than others.

We already know parents are affecting kids palates at a very young age. One study shows, infants prefer foods that its mother ate while pregnant or breastfeeding. According to researcher Julie Mennella , flavors like vanilla, carrot, garlic, anise, mint all come through in the womb and in mothers milk. Gwen Dewar at Parenting Science points out that according to a 2008 study, kids like bitter and sour foods better in general if theyre first introduced to them along with sweet tastes. In another study, African American children tend to prefer more sugary cereals than other children, regardless of their genes. Of course, theres no prescription for turning out a foodie child yet, but that might not always be the case.

Its also worth mentioning that some kids might just grow out of picky eatingperhaps their biology changes or they just mellow out a bit. The Monell Chemical Senses Center found in 2008 that 64% of kids in their study with bitter sensitivity genes were actually repulsed by bitter taste whereas only 43% of mothers with the same genetic profile were also sensitive. Some adults remain yuckified forever, but some do not.

For parents who have a picky eater, it may be comforting to know theres genetics behind it. But, on the other side, its also nice to know that the picky eating gene may not be a foodie death sentence after all. Nobody wants to sit at the kids table for the rest of their lives.

*originally appeared on The Nest

Casey Rentz is a science writer whose essays have appeared in New Scientist, Scientific American, Smithsonian.com, The Guardian, and Best Science Writing Online book series. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two kiddos. Find her at www.caseyrentz.com. Follow her at Facebook , Twitter .