PICKY EATERS: BLAME IT ON THE GENES?

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on October 10

The New York Times has a long article today on a subject dear to many of our hearts, titled Picky Eater? They Get It From You. At first glance it seems to be saying there isn’t much to be done if a kid refuses to eat anything but plain pasta—most likely they inherited their neophobia (that’s fear of new foods; who knew?) from their parents. It’s all based on a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition investigating childhood neophobia. The researchers, led by Dr. Lucy Cooke of University College London, determined that genetics is behind 78% of a child’s pickiness; the other 22% is environmental.

“People have really dismissed this as an idea because they have been looking at the social associations between parents and their children,” Dr. Cooke said. “I came from a position of not wanting to blame parents.”

Hmmm. Hate to fight science with anecdotes, but this just doesn’t square with my experience, or even the experience of the families profiled in the article. For the most part I think the enemy is us, the parents. Almost all kids can get weird about food at some point, but it strikes me that the ones that keep it up are fighting a battle over control, and winning. In other words, if they can get away with eating nothing but mac ‘n cheese and ice cream they will, and I know a lot of parents who give in. The lead example in the story, in fact, is a mother who cooks a different meal for everyone in the family. What kid wouldn’t revel in that kind of catering?

I gained some insight into how to get a child to try new foods this summer when my eight year old daughter and I went to London, France and Switzerland on vacation (visiting friends all the way, which explains the agenda). There are no childrens’ menus in Europe, praise the lord; in fact, the concept of children’s food is pretty much an American construct. I told Jesse right from the start that we were not going to run around looking for spaghetti and meatballs—she’d have to experiment. Our first night in Paris we walked to a little neighborhood bistro where several French families were dining, with kids, so I figured she’d like it. Jesse looked at the menu and promptly announced there was nothing she could eat. I said something supportive like “Don’t be ridiculous” and convinced her to order the lamb. She took a bite and announced that “this is the best meal I’ve ever had!” And there was joy throughout the land.

After that she tried all kinds of new foods—duck, cottage pie, raclette, strange looking sausages, crepes of course, and was more than happy to try new preparations of vegetables, all because it seemed exotic. Made me realize that if you treat new food like an adventure, they might go for it. (Fellow blogger Amy had the same experience this summer when her family went on a cruise, read about it here).

Most nutritionists say children do get their eating behavior from their parents in one sense—if you don’t like to try new foods, chances are your child won’t want to either. I wrote about this issue a year ago, in my entry The Drama of the Picky Child. Then I linked to a useful web site on the subject at the University of California-San Francisco. The New York Times article also has some good advice from experts.
And if you keep reading you will find a recipe that I printed last year, that is loved by every child I’ve ever served it to, including one that will normally only eat nothing but white rice. End the tyranny of the children’s meal, I say. Biology is not destiny.

Chicken Adobo is a popular Philippino dish, and there are many different versions, but this is one of the easiest. I always use skinless thighs, but you could make it with breasts if you prefer. I've also tried finishing the chicken a couple of minutes under the broiler to crisp it, but that step is not necessary. Also, I tend to make this in a big pot rather than a frying pan to avoid splatters. And remember, one good way to avoid a picky eater is to get your child to cook with you. They always like it better if they make it themselves.

CHICKEN ADOBO
(time: about 40 minutes)

8 chicken drumsticks (or 4 drumsticks and 4 thighs; about 2 1/2 pounds total) (I use skinless)
4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 Turkish bay leaf or 1/2 California bay leaf
Accompaniment: cooked rice

Pat chicken dry. Coarsely chop garlic. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown chicken in 2 batches, about 8 minutes for each batch. With tongs transfer chicken as browned to a plate.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and in remaining fat cook garlic over moderately low heat, stirring, until golden. Add vinegar, soy sauce, peppercorns, bay leaf, and chicken, with any juices that have accumulated on plate, and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Remove lid and cook mixture over moderately low heat, turning chicken occasionally, until sauce is thickened and coats chicken, about 15 minutes.

Serve chicken with rice.

Serves 4.

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