Children who are fussy eaters have their genes to blame

For a long time, parents have been guilt tripping themselves into thinking they are the reason why their little ones don’t eat many vegetables. However, it seems that genes have more to do with taste buds than upbringing.

 

A study of over 2,500 children showed that a dislike to eating greens and certain foods has a lot to do with DNA.

 

The researchers compared the eating habits of identical twins and non-identical twins to see how much of their food preferences had to do with genes and how much were influenced by upbringing.

 

The findings suggest that if identical twins have more similar tastes than non-identical twins, then genes are to blame and not what happens at home.

 

Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the outcome of the study can help parents who struggle to get their children to eat certain foods:

 

“Health professionals seem to think that everything about a child’s food preferences and habits can be blamed on what the parents do and how they feed them and rear them. There’s quite a blame culture,” said Professor Wardle, the lead author of the study.

 

She believes that giving a child a small amount of disliked foods every day for a few days can help lead to a change of heart.