{"url":"https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ4NTB9AAcAAAAAADZXUF6UMUQRD8uUkGogdz49BOKc8pgjAKN5tI3-FG8qXtyBt8vG_3OJSy0q7jwk6xJ1pcZXVTj3Mj_Wi5gDAldr-Pc6p2oUR9iuSXbB","title":"Why children became fussy eaters","domain":"click.e.economist.com","imageUrl":"https://images.pexels.com/photos/5692700/pexels-photo-5692700.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=650&w=940","pexelsSearchTerm":"fussy child eating","category":"Culture","language":"en","slug":"4d4eff91","id":"4d4eff91-5323-43b1-9685-a600cb3ed5c0","description":"A new book argues American children turned from adventurous eaters into the fussiest in history due to cultural shifts over the past century.","summary":"## TL;DR\n- A new book argues American children turned from adventurous eaters into the fussiest in history due to cultural shifts over the past century.\n- In 1915, a Maine mother was told her son's food rejection could not be dislike but stomach trouble, as kids then ate what was served.\n- Parents now follow flawed advice on child autonomy and snacking, unlike French approaches that expect kids to eat adult foods.\n\n## The story at a glance\n*The Economist* reviews *Picky*, a book by Helen Zoe Veit that traces how American children became fussy eaters. It contrasts early 20th-century views, where food rejection was rare and medically doubted, with today's norms shaped by parenting changes, processed foods, and marketing. The piece appears now alongside the book's recent release, highlighting ongoing debates on children's diets.[[1]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/09/why-children-become-fussy-eaters)\n\n## Key points\n- Before the 1930s, \"picky eater\" was not a recognised concept; children ate diverse adult foods like organ meats, spicy relishes, bitter greens, and pickled items without fuss.[[2]](https://ifstudies.org/blog/picky-eaters-a-modern-american-phenomenon)\n- High child mortality from diseases led reformers to blame diverse diets and push bland foods for \"delicate\" young stomachs, starting the idea of separate children's nutrition.[[2]](https://ifstudies.org/blog/picky-eaters-a-modern-american-phenomenon)\n- Rise in snacking dulled hunger at meals, while processed foods, kids' menus, and advertising reinforced narrow preferences like chicken nuggets.[[3]](https://www.facebook.com/TheEconomist/posts/a-rise-in-snacking-resulting-in-a-lack-of-hunger-is-one-of-the-modern-culprits-f/1449779507180565)\n- Dr Benjamin Spock's 1940s advice against forcing food, later regretted, contributed to parents offering alternatives instead of expecting compliance on eating, unlike brushing teeth or seatbelts.[[4]](https://www.threads.com/@theeconomist/post/DXKBV7IFBg5/toddlers-may-say-they-do-not-want-to-brush-or-buckle-up-but-adults-overrule)\n- Research from Cornell's Food and Brand Lab is cited, showing hunger boosts food curiosity; French families serve one meal to all, fostering broader tastes without pickiness.[[5]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-newsletter-the-plague-of-picky-eating)\n\n## Details and context\nHistorically, 19th-century American children were \"little omnivores\" who shared family meals, including squirrels, raw oysters, and offal, as described in accounts by Mark Twain and Laura Ingalls Wilder. No special kids' food existed; restaurants offered half-portions of adult dishes.\n\nChanges accelerated post-WWI with nutrition science amid food abundance. Well-meaning experts promoted plain cereals and milk over varied diets to prevent illness, while wartime thrift and later convenience foods created \"children's food.\" By mid-century, child-centred parenting viewed insisting on spinach as authoritarian.\n\nVeit's book, drawn on here, notes modern American kids eat so poorly they are getting shorter from poor nutrition, despite plenty. Contrasts with France show cultural expectations matter: adults overrule toddler protests on food just as on safety rules.[[1]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/09/why-children-become-fussy-eaters)\n\n## Key quotes\n\"Toddlers may say they do not want to brush or buckle up, but adults overrule them because they know best. Why not so with spinach or fish?\" – Article excerpt.[[4]](https://www.threads.com/@theeconomist/post/DXKBV7IFBg5/toddlers-may-say-they-do-not-want-to-brush-or-buckle-up-but-adults-overrule)\n\n\"A rise in snacking (resulting in a lack of hunger) is one of the modern culprits for children’s finicky eating habits at the dinner table.\" – Summarising the book.[[3]](https://www.facebook.com/TheEconomist/posts/a-rise-in-snacking-resulting-in-a-lack-of-hunger-is-one-of-the-modern-culprits-f/1449779507180565)\n\n## Why it matters\nFussy eating limits nutrition, contributes to obesity and stunted growth in American children, and strains family meals amid abundance.\nParents and businesses face pressure from conflicting advice and kid-targeted marketing, while kids miss diverse flavours.\nWatch if cultural shifts like less snacking or firmer expectations could reverse trends, though experts disagree on pace.","hashtags":["#parenting","#food","#culture","#childnutrition","#pickyeaters","#usfood"],"sources":[{"url":"https://click.e.economist.com/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ4NTB9AAcAAAAAADZXUF6UMUQRD8uUkGogdz49BOKc8pgjAKN5tI3-FG8qXtyBt8vG_3OJSy0q7jwk6xJ1pcZXVTj3Mj_Wi5gDAldr-Pc6p2oUR9iuSXbB","title":"Original article"},{"url":"https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/09/why-children-become-fussy-eaters","title":""},{"url":"https://ifstudies.org/blog/picky-eaters-a-modern-american-phenomenon","title":""},{"url":"https://www.facebook.com/TheEconomist/posts/a-rise-in-snacking-resulting-in-a-lack-of-hunger-is-one-of-the-modern-culprits-f/1449779507180565","title":""},{"url":"https://www.threads.com/@theeconomist/post/DXKBV7IFBg5/toddlers-may-say-they-do-not-want-to-brush-or-buckle-up-but-adults-overrule","title":""},{"url":"https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-newsletter-the-plague-of-picky-eating","title":""}],"viewCount":2,"publishedAt":"2026-04-18T16:57:19.334Z","createdAt":"2026-04-18T16:57:19.334Z","articlePublishedAt":"2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z"}