Fussy eating in children signals a higher chance they will go on to suffer from mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, research suggests
By Laura Donnelly, Health Editor
6:00AM BST 03 Aug 2015
Picky eating in small children may be a sign of serious mental problems that should not be ignored, say experts.
Parents and doctors who view food fussiness as a passing phase could be making a grave mistake, a study suggests.
Even “moderate” pickiness was associated with significantly increased levels of depression and anxiety in a population of more than 3,000 children aged two to six.
Those with highly selective eating habits were more than twice as likely as normal eaters to have a diagnosis of depression.
Lead researcher Dr Nancy Zucker, director of the Duke Centre for Eating Disorders in the US, said: “The question for many parents and physicians is: when is picky eating truly a problem?
“The children we’re talking about are not just misbehaving kids who refuse to eat their broccoli.”
No wonder he doesn’t want to eat–they look like flaccid frozen vegetables. Give him some fresh, crunchy ones with a nice cheese sauce.