Often parents say ‘My son/daughter is very picky. He/she will never eat that.’ And while that may be true today, it doesn’t have to always be the case. Tastebuds are quite complex, and we can teach children to like to foods that are healthy just like we can teach them to like foods that are unhealthy.
Let’s stop calling our children “picky eaters,” especially in their presence! Why? There’s a good chance that they will live up to that label after hearing it over and over and think that forever they will be picky. But taste preferences are NOT static, and for almost all children, pickiness CAN be overcome! Instead of telling me that your child is a “picky eater”, tell me that your child is “still learning to eat a lot of new foods and we are working very hard.”
Dr. Namili Fernando , MD MHD, Dr. Yum Project
Babies enter the world with far more taste buds than adults — roughly 20,000-30,000 compared to about 10,000 in adulthood. Taste receptors begin forming early in development, around the first trimester of pregnancy, and research suggests that flavor exposure may begin in the womb. Compounds from foods a mother eats can pass into amniotic fluid and later into breast milk, subtly shaping a baby’s early flavor experiences.
Studies indicate that children are often more accepting of foods their mothers consumed regularly during pregnancy or while nursing. This is one reason why eating a varied, nutrient-dense diet during these stages may help support a child’s openness to a wide range of foods later on. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, incorporating diverse flavors — vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, and whole foods — may help gently expand your child’s palate from the very beginning.
Taste buds also regenerate approximately every 10–14 days. You may have noticed this after burning your mouth on hot food — flavors can seem dull or slightly “off” until your taste receptors recover. The same principle applies when you change your eating habits. After reducing highly salty or sugary foods for a few weeks, many people find their preferences shift. Foods once enjoyed may begin to taste overly sweet or salty. Our taste perception adapts to our dietary environment.
Humans recognize five primary taste categories: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (savory). While babies do show a natural preference for sweet flavors — likely an evolutionary adaptation encouraging acceptance of breast milk — they are born capable of detecting all five tastes. With repeated, gentle exposure and patience, children can learn to appreciate a wide variety of flavors.
Taste preferences are not fixed. They are shaped over time — and with consistency, we can help guide them toward a more diverse and nourishing relationship with food.
So how do we do this?
1. Begin early and introduce a wide variety of flavors and textures. If your child is older, you can still change their food preferences. It is never too late to learn new things, and that is also true for our tastebuds.
2. Let very young children play with their food. So much of childhood is about experimenting with their world through a sense of play. While you may not care for this at the Thanksgiving dinner table, allow exploration at your everyday dinner table. Young children learn through playing, and eating is no different.
3. For a food that a child doesn’t immediately care for, introduce small amounts at a time. When our children were little, we had a salad almost every night and they weren’t big fans. Alright, if I’m being honest, they’re still not big fans, but they eat them and don’t complain. I’ll take that as a win! We started slowly by making them eat one piece of baby spinach, then gradually two and so on. Fast forward a few weeks and we had salad eaters!
4. Be persistent. It can take up to 15 exposures for tastebuds to change and a baby’s brain to register that they like a particular food. Most parents try 2-3 times and then decide their child doesn’t like that food. Don’t give up!
5. Involve children in the prep and cooking process. In addition to having fun, you’re also building in a sense of ownership and pride that will result in them being more willing to try new foods at the table.
Children who help to prepare their own meals eat significantly more vegetables than those who are not involved in cooking.
Dr. Klazine van der host, Nutritionist
6. Once a child likes a new food, start on the next one. Use Dr. Greger’s list of 12 foods that we should all eat every day as a guide to make sure you are maximizing all the nutrients that their body needs.
Need more?
Pediatrician Nimali Fernando MD, known as Dr. Yum, started the “Dr. Yum Project” to teach her patients and their families about the benefits of eating healthy. Today they offer online classes for families with young children along with recipes and a “meal-o-matic” to make cooking with the foods you have on hand even easier. These will help to make preparing dinner easier while providing additional support as you work towards feeding your young child new foods. Check them out!
I’ve tried all of this and my child still won’t eat new foods. Now what?
Take a short break and then try again. At some point, most young children go through a period of ‘neophobia’ when they stop trying new things. There is a belief that this stems from an ancestral intuition from consuming foods that can be harmful. While we know we are giving our children safe foods, a toddler’s innate sense can still cause them to push back. Some believe that this stage peaks around 18 months to 2 years of age. Just because a child does not eat something today, doesn’t mean that he or she won’t be open to it in the future.
Nope, still no luck.
About 10% of children are thought to be very picky eaters. If this appears to be the case for your child, talk to your pediatrician about experts in your area that can provide further support.
Most of all, while this can be a frustrating process, it can also be a fun one. Enjoy this time with your son or daughter. The more relaxed you are and fun you make it, the higher your chance of success. You got this!
~ Your Happy Healthy Life