Eating Aversions in Kids

Throughout childhood children can display different eating habits. The eating habits of younger children are easier to monitor than those of older, school-going children who often eat away from home. If you have concerns about your child's nutrition, know what signs to look for to detect eating aversions and learn how to combat them.

Recognizing Eating Aversions

• To identify whether your child has an eating aversion, observe him. He might be picky and refuse to eat any food, a certain type of food or an entire food group. He can display a strong preference for certain foods and prefers to eat these, over and over again. Vomiting, gagging or spitting out food can indicate an eating aversion. Refusing to eat newly introduced foods, tantrums, fussiness and playing with food during mealtime are common behaviors of children with food aversions.

Causes of Eating Aversions

• Children can refuse to eat certain foods because they dislike the texture, temperature, taste or color. If a parent is picky about what he eats, a child has a natural tendency to copy this. A child can refuse food as a way to control the parent. If she wants to please the parent she eats, and if she prefers the extra attention, she won't eat. Body image in school-going kids can also trigger eating aversions. Fear of gaining weight can bring on eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa where the child refuses to eat and desires to lose weight.

Effects of Eating Aversions

• Due to the limited types and amounts of foods that a child with food aversions eats, she may not get all the nutrients needed for her body to function properly. According to the Picky Eating website, nutritional deficiencies can affect mental functioning, concentration and energy levels. The child can appear sluggish and get tired quickly. The immune system weakens due to lack of nutrients, leading to frequent illnesses. Growth retardation where the child's weight is too low for her age and height is not uncommon.

Overcoming Eating Aversions

• To help your child overcome an eating aversion, set the right example. Eat a variety of different healthful foods and allow your child to mimic your behavior. Eat meals as a family at the same times each day. Let your child help prepare the food because the extra effort can stimulate him to eat. Avoid forcing your child to eat because this can backfire and make him refuse to eat even more so. Don't make separate meals of preferred foods for your child; teach him to eat what everyone else is eating. Hide grated vegetables in sauces and soups, add chopped fruit to ice cream and give your child a daily multivitamin.