Let's talk about kid's and their picky eating habits, shall we?
This article was shared with me yesterday. http://good-mag.co/EatingDisorder. ARFID is a new ridiculous diagnosis called: avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.
I'm going to cover the main reasons children are such picky eaters now:
1. They are fed very early in infancy before they are able to sit on their own, have lost their tongue thrust reflex, and have fine motor skills for feeding themselves. Nobody eats laying down except for a 4 to 6 month old infant being force fed cereals their body can't even break down (enzymes are not made until well after a year for grains). They are then fed baby food with fruit mixed in to every pouch! All they ever taste is sweet stuff! IF you are going to do purees, wait until they are 6 months old, they actually like it when you offer it, and only offer veggies for quite some time, saving the sweet veggies at the end. They should taste EVERY SINGLE FOOD BY ITSELF. Fruit can be added at the end of meals after quite some time with meats, beans, lentils, and egg yolks added after 9 months. Finger foods should be offered either when they have the three things noted above or at 9 months. Most will get food to their mouth well by 10.5 months with a few stragglers at 12 to 14 months.
2. STOP MAKING MEAL TIME A FIGHT. Listen- toddlers are all over the place. I'm starving, I don't want to eat a thing, I love this, I hate it, I'm going to start out with a bang at breakfast, eat every two hours all day, and then I'm not interested at dinner, I'm teething don't feed me, I'm starving feed me ALL the things. Get the picture? Offer what YOU want them to eat, and they eat it or they don't. They want down? Great. Let them down. They come back 30 minutes or later because they want to eat? Great. Here is your food still sitting here for you. Have some water. Move on. Kids are smart. They will sit down ready for a fight at every meal if you start it with them. Just chill out.
3. Sensory issues. I do occasionally deal with some children who are vaccine injured and have sensory issues. This is a whole other arena to deal with and likely how this new diagnosis came to be. You have to address the underlying issues: food intolerances/allergies, nutrient depletion, toxic load, anti-oxidant needs, etc. That is a whole other post to discuss.
4. Food allergies and intolerances. Children are very different from adults. If an adult has an intolerance to something, the more aware will likely try to steer clear for the most part because they don't want to feel bad. Children on the other hand OBSESS about what they are reactive to. The two biggest? Wheat and dairy. Most kids are literally reacting to wheat and dairy, therefor obsess about it, leading to the point that all they eat is WHEAT and DAIRY. By baby steps and changing diet, you can break this addictive cycle and their palette will open up to more foods.I am constantly amazed at parents who are so upset their teenagers "won't" eat vegetables, when they have been set up for failure and never required to do so in the first place as if suddenly they will just decide one day to like kale. Not going to happen. To which I usually answer- you're 15. You can take 3 toddler bites of every vegetable your mom gives you. She can also take that fancy handheld computer you have in your pocket away if you refuse. You'll never learn to like it by NOT eating it.
Moral of the story is: start them off right for success. If they suddenly won't eat anything but wheat and dairy or junk, you should consider a sudden sensory issue and rethink the decisions you've been making regarding your child's healthcare.