Picky Eaters - Part I

Picky eating can be hard to define.  It can range from a refusal of a few foods, not wanting to try new things, avoiding large food groups to an extremely limited diet of only a handful of foods. 

Is it nature or nuture?  Turns out it is a little of both.

To understand picky eating, we need to understand what taste is all about.  We have five tastes that we recognize.  They are sweet, salt, sour, bitter and umami.  Umami is a Japanese word for savoriness that mimics flavors found in meat and cheese.

Biologically, we are wired as infants to have a preference for sweetness.  Sweet tastes in nature signified an energy source so were sought and craved to grow and thrive.  On the flip side, we are also wired to have a dislike for bitter tastes which signaled possible poisons.  Since most of us today are not hunter and gatherers, bitter foods no longer are related to poison but this can be a hard thing to overcome for some people.  Humans are also wired with a slight preference for salt and moderate to low sour tastes. 

Neurobiologic pairing occurs when a food is associated with a physical response.  For example, nausea and vomiting are reactions that protect us from things that are bad for us.  Having this response to a food (whether the food was the actual cause or not) is very hard to overcome and to be willing to eat that food again.

Stay tuned for Part II

Want to learn more about picky eating and how to overcome it as an adult or for your child?  Would you like some advice and suggestions that will help you tackle the challenging job of getting your picky eater to eat more healthy foods? We have partnered with WELLNESS MATTERS, a division of LOCAL MATTERS to bring you a great cooking demonstration with samples.  

Join us for this Cooking Demonstration with Samples as Chef Laura Helland and Dr. Sant discuss foods and strategies for picky eating.
Saturday, October 14th, from 1-2p
Space is still available for this unique workshop. 
Register at http://www.wholekidspediatrics.com/yoga-and-wellness.  

You can get 25% of this workshop (or use for another class or workshop) by going to http://www.wholekidspediatrics.com/blog where you will also have access to our exciting downloadable e-book, The Wholistic Medicine Cabinet. 
Your welcome email gives you access to the 25% discount.  
**If you are having trouble accessing the ebook and discount, just clear your history and/or cache and voila, you'll see it!**