Can a Nutritionist Help a Picky Eater?

Mealtime can often feel like a battleground for many families. Instead of being a time to connect, parents may experience frustration and helplessness during meals with their children. Why have family dinners become so challenging?

 

Understanding Picky Eating

Picky eating is a common phase that many children go through and is not classified as an eating disorder. Typically, a picky eater will consume a limited variety of foods but still maintain a balanced diet over time. Key characteristics include:

 

  • Eating approximately 30 different foods, with at least one from each food group.
  • Temporarily rejecting a food after frequent consumption but usually reintroducing it after a short break.
  • Tolerating new foods on their plate and, after multiple exposures (around 15 times), may be willing to try them.

 

Distinguishing Picky Eating from ARFID

 

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is more severe than typical picky eating and is recognized as an eating disorder in the DSM-5. Children with ARFID may:

 

  • Avoid specific textures or colors of food.
  • Refuse to eat in social settings.
  • Limit themselves to a small list of “safe” foods.

Unlike picky eating, ARFID often requires intervention from a specialized team, including a pediatrician, a pediatric dietitian nutritionist, and a therapist.

 

How a Pediatric Dietitian Nutritionist Can Help Picky Eaters

 

Working with a pediatric dietitian nutritionist can transform mealtime into a positive experience. Our team offers both in-person and virtual medical nutrition therapy for children and families, providing guidance and treatment to manage picky eating:

 

  • Nutritional Assessment: Evaluating your child’s diet to identify any nutrient deficiencies and making necessary adjustments.
  • Gradual Exposure to New Foods: Developing a plan to introduce new foods in a non-threatening manner, helping to expand your child’s palate over time.
  • Meal Planning: Creating balanced meal plans that incorporate preferred foods while gradually introducing variety.
  • Behavioral Strategies: Providing tips on handling mealtime challenges, including positive reinforcement and non-coercive methods to encourage trying new foods.
  • Food Texture and Taste Modifications: Suggesting preparation methods to make textures or flavors more acceptable to your child.
  • Addressing Food Anxiety: Identifying underlying anxieties related to food and offering strategies to reduce discomfort around eating.
  • Collaboration with Other Professionals: Working with healthcare providers to ensure comprehensive care, especially if there are deeper emotional or sensory issues involved.

 

We love the science of nutrition, and recent studies show that genetics might play a role in picky eating. Other research shows that children have more taste buds, causing them to experience tastes more intensely, which can lead to aversions to certain foods. Eating truly can be an intense experience for them.

 

Family meals are important. And they shouldn’t have to be a battle zone. By partnering with a pediatric dietitian nutritionist, you can gain the tools and strategies needed to improve your child’s eating habits and make mealtime enjoyable again.