Fussy Eaters 'May Be Protecting Themselves'

Ananova ^ | 10-8-2003

[blam]

Fussy eaters 'may be protecting themselves'

Children who won't eat their fruit and vegetables could be demonstrating an evolutionary trait designed to protect them from harm.

Cancer Research UK scientists found fussy children were particularly wary of certain types of foods such as greens, fruit and meat.

The authors, writing in the journal Appetite, suggest children may have evolved a natural suspicion of foods with the potential to upset their stomachs.

The researchers hope that by understanding the reasons behind children's fussiness, ways can be found to encourage them to eat more healthily.

Scientists at University College London questioned whether youngsters were reluctant to eat any unfamiliar foods or whether they were selectively rejecting those most likely to pose a threat to health.

This theory dates back to early human history when the presence of toxins in many plants made eating fruit and vegetables a risk to young children.

Meat was also a high risk source of food poisoning.

Researchers found the more fussy a child was, the less they consumed potentially dangerous foods.

The researchers concluded that so-called 'neophobia' was not a random phenomenon but was a carefully directed strategy to avoid some types of food.

Story filed: 06:45 Wednesday 8th October 2003

[Az Joe]

WOW! When I first glanced at your post I thought it said...oh, nevermind. What a relief.

[Wolfie]

Yep, had to read it twice myself.

[adaven]

LOL, me too!

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[COURAGE]

Opps, I pressed "F" instead of "P". Sorry.

[js1138]

Case in point: mushrooms.

[AFreeBird]

Yea, shrooms... add Brussel Sprouts & Broccoli (nasty stuff)

[formercalifornian]

My son better not see this one, or he'll have another stupid excuse not to eat anything other than cheese sandwiches.

[LibKill]

Nah. Kids like or dislike something based on taste and appearance. For example, most kids view anything with little bits of something mixed in it as inedible. That includes a really nice omlet.

I read in an article in a science-for-the-masses rag some 20 years back that most people like the kind of food they ate as kids, and most people will change their spouse before changing their food preferences. (no link, it was on PAPER, before the Internet) I have experienced nothing to contradict this theory. For example, I was raised on spicy-hot food. And rice. Lots and lots of rice.

To this day I prefer rice to bread or pasta and I LOVE Tabasco Sauce(tm).

Humans can survive on sustenance that goats and pigs would reject, IF they are hungry enough.

Most of the stuff I ate in Recruit Training was not good, but I was hungry enough to enjoy it.

[conserv13]

Same here!

[luckystarmom]

My son is one of those fussy eaters. Drives me crazy. He's very skinny, and I think he needs to put on weight. He's 9 and only weighs 52 lbs.

It's definitely not parenting. His sister is almost 7 and weighs 60 lbs. She's a little chunky.

I have one kid I'm trying to fatten up, and the other kid I'm trying to slim down. Ahhhh!!!!!

[DCBryan1]

I am so upset.

I thought it had a "P" instead of an "F".

I thought that I could lead what would have been one of the longest threads in FR history:) (based on my authority on the subject(s))

[Revolting cat!]

Isn't the first word in the title correctly spelled 'phussy', though?

[strela]

I've been a picky eater ever since I can remember. For a very good reason - I'm deathly allergic to raw tomatoes and pecans. Even a tiny piece of either one in my food puts me flat on my back for a couple of days.

[VadeRetro]

I was like your son for years, practically my whole childhood. Most kinds of green veggies made me shudder. I can remember trying asparagus in college to see if I still hated it. The chills just shot up and down my spine. Then, in my mid twenties, I discovered I liked practically everything. Asparagus tastes just fine to me now. (Shrug!)

[Alas Babylon!]

This theory dates back to early human history when the presence of toxins in many plants made eating fruit and vegetables a risk to young children.

Meat was also a high risk source of food poisoning.

Ok, if both plants and meat are potentially dangerous to eat, what can they eat? Dirt?

[martin_fierro]

ME THREE! lol

[Lazamataz]

WOW! When I first glanced at your post I thought it said...oh, nevermind. What a relief.

Relief, hell.

What a disappointment!

[Caipirabob]

Children who won't eat their fruit and vegetables could be demonstrating an evolutionary trait designed to protect them from harm.

Then why on Earth do they always want to go to McDonald's?!?