Is your child a fussy eater? It may be in your genes!

If your child has ever refused to eat anything other than plain pasta or turned their nose up at vegetables for the millionth time, you’re not alone. Wild new research, which analysed data from twins in England and Wales, has suggested that fussy eating isn’t just a phase — and it might not be entirely in your control.

Twinning, even in fussiness!

The study researchers compared eating habits of identical and non-identical twins from the ages of 16 months to 13 years. They discovered that food fussiness remains fairly stable throughout childhood, with a slight peak around the age of seven before decreasing slightly. But perhaps the most surprising finding is the strong genetic component: genes explained about 60% of food fussiness at 16 months, increasing to 74% by the time children reached three years old.

This means that while picky eating might seem like a behaviour that can be shaped by parenting, much of it could be inherited. Identical twins, who share basically 100% of their genes, were far more similar in their eating habits than non-identical twins, who share only 50% of their genes. The difference in fussiness between identical and non-identical twins highlights just how big of a role genetics plays.

What about nurture?

While genes dominated, the study also found that the environment still plays a role, particularly in toddlerhood. For instance, shared family environments — like sitting down for meals together — were more influential towards their eating habits during the early years. However, as children grow older, the influence of the shared home environment fades, and individual experiences, such as friendships or school environments, start to shape food preferences.
By ages seven to 13, environmental factors that are unique to each child (such as peer influences) become more important, accounting for about 25% of the differences in food fussiness. So, while you can’t completely control how picky your child will be, the environment you create in the early years can still make a difference.

So, where does the parent fit in?

Food fussiness can cause significant anxiety for parents, causing many to blame themselves for their child’s eating habits. Hopefully, this study should hopefully offer some relief that it may not chalk down to their parenting skills at all.

But that doesn’t mean parents are powerless either! Senior author Professor Clare Llewellyn suggests that early interventions, such as regularly exposing young children to a variety of foods, may help reduce fussiness. Repeated exposure to the same foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, can increase the likelihood of children accepting them, especially during the toddler years when shared family meals have a bigger impact.
And while food fussiness tends to stabilise throughout childhood, it’s not set in stone. Dr Alison Fildes emphasises that parents can continue encouraging their children to eat a wide variety of foods as they grow older, even though peers and external influences may become stronger drivers of eating behaviour in adolescence.

The researchers note that the study had some limitations, such as the fact that most of the participants came from white British households of higher socio-economic backgrounds. As a result, future research will need to examine fussy eating across different cultural and socio-economic contexts, where food traditions and access to food may vary significantly.

Overall, the findings suggest that while genetics play a major role in fussy eating, there are still opportunities to influence children’s eating habits, particularly in the early years. So, while you may not be able to completely eliminate picky eating, understanding its genetic roots can help you manage it with a little more patience and less guilt.

The findings of this research have been published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and can be accessed here.