Picky Eaters – Is it an environmental issue?

By Jolie McShane, Integrative Nutrition Certified Health Coach

It can be incredibly frustrating to raise a picky eater. Why do some children reject foods based on texture, color, or smell sometimes without even tasting them? Parents often find themselves exhausted from the daily battle and eventually give up, defaulting to familiar but unhealthy options just to keep the peace. But here’s the truth: picky eating is not a behavioral issue, and it’s not the fault of the parent or child. It's often a sign of an underlying nutritional imbalance.

Conventional pediatric advice rarely connects picky eating with nutrition, because most pediatricians aren’t trained in it. I know firsthand, I was a picky eater myself, raised on butterscotch candy, boxed cereal, and Spanish rice with hotdogs. I would hide food under my plate when no one was watching and spit food into my glass of milk. At five years of age, I was diagnosed with petit-mal epilepsy. Hospital visits where rubber suction tubes were stuck on my head to measure the seizures.  But thanks to a family member who studied the work of nutrition pioneer Weston A. Price, my diet changed dramatically. We eliminated processed foods, added raw milk and nutrient-dense whole foods. Within months, the seizures were gone and so was the picky eating!

Our modern Standard American Diet (SAD) is contributing to a rise in food sensitivities, allergies, eczema, asthma, and yes—picky eating. These behaviors are the body’s reaction to being undernourished or overwhelmed by chemical-laden, ultra-processed foods. Children aren’t broken—they’re reacting to a broken food system.

My approach to Picky Eaters is this is an environmental issue. No one is at fault, neither the parent nor the child. The picky eater can blame the American food system and the environment we have been raised in. Kids have been trained through television ads to clamor for the boxed cereals, chemically laden snacks and artificially died Gatorade. Milk products are highly processed with synthetic vitamin A & D added back in. None of these foods nourish the child, they become addicted to the white, sugar laden and unhealthy foods.

The solution isn’t to force unfamiliar foods or create mealtime stress, it’s to gradually replace harmful foods with higher quality, nutrient-dense alternatives. Zinc deficiency is often present in picky eaters, as is an undiagnosed food allergy (typically to a child’s favorite food, such as wheat). By removing the offending food and supplementing properly, children can heal remarkably fast.

This journey can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. As a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach—and a former picky eater—I help families transform their child’s health and relationship with food in a positive, lasting way. With patience and the right support, your picky eater can thrive and mealtimes can become a joy again.

YouTube short "Is This Your Child?" by Kelly Dorfman review: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/e-XqFPHGEN4