(The Washington Post) – Picky eating is such a common complaint among parents of young children that some physicians consider it a normal part of childhood development.
As many as 20 percent of parents of preschoolers say they experience a familiar struggle: Child refuses to eat certain foods, parent engages in an attempt — not always successful —to force him or her to try it. Rinse and repeat.
Sure, parents fear the potential nutritional consequences of this kind of behavior. But could it be that these problems are signs of something deeper — and perhaps longer-lasting?
Researchers at Duke University have taken a closer look at those children in a new study and made some surprising findings.