She Studied Kids' Picky Eating for 14 Years-Here's What She Learned

For more than a decade, food historian Helen Zoe Veit has been puzzling over a question that frustrates many modern parents: why are so many children picky eaters?

After nearly 15 years of research, the Michigan State University associate professor told Newsweek that the answer lies less in biology-and more in history.

Veit, author of Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History, began her work in 2011 while studying food culture in the early 20th century.

What she found challenged one of today's most common assumptions: that children are naturally selective about what they eat.

"Over and over, I kept bumping into older sources describing children enjoying foods they weren’t supposed to like," Veit said. "It quickly became obvious that [people once] had a very different vision of children’s food than we do today."

That shift, Veit argued, has taken place surprisingly recently. In the 19th century, there was no widespread concept of children as picky eaters.

Instead, children typically ate the same meals as adults-whether that meant simple staples like cornbread and beans or a wide-ranging diet that could include seasonal vegetables, wild game, organ meats and fermented foods.

It wasn't just that there was less food around, either. "The United States was the most abundant country in the world at this time," Veit said. "Most people had enough to eat… and [there was] plenty of choice."

So what changed? According to Veit, one of the biggest shifts was the disappearance of what she called "pleasant pre-meal hunger."

In the past, children went longer between meals, expended more energy through physical activity and had fewer opportunities to snack. As a result, they often arrived at meals with a strong appetite-something that can make unfamiliar foods more appealing.

By contrast, the rise of packaged snacks, refrigeration and constant food availability in the 20th century has reduced that hunger.

At the same time, children began consuming large amounts of milk, which was widely promoted as a "perfect food" and further dampened appetites at mealtimes.

Another key difference was the lack of alternatives. In earlier households, even well-stocked ones, there were few ready-to-eat substitutes. Meals were prepared from basic ingredients, and if a child refused what was served, there wasn't an easy replacement.

Veit also pointed to the role of children in food preparation. In the 19th century, children often helped grow, gather and cook food-whether by tending gardens, feeding animals or assisting in the kitchen.

This involvement helped reinforce the value of food and encouraged children to become invested in eating it.

But perhaps the most significant change, Veit argued, was cultural rather than practical.

Starting in the mid-20th century, parenting advice-particularly from influential psychologists-began discouraging parents from directing what children should eat.

Parents were told that encouraging or pressuring children could harm their development and lead to unhealthy relationships with food.

"There were no rigorous comparative studies talking about different outcomes with children raised in different feeding environments… it was all theoretical," Veit said. "And yet, much of this advice has stuck with us."

Today, many parents worry that picky eating is inevitable or biologically driven. Veit acknowledged that some children may be more cautious or sensitive than others, and that humans have an evolutionary tendency-known as neophobia-to be wary of unfamiliar foods.

However, she said history and cross-cultural evidence suggest these tendencies can be overcome.

"In the history of our species, all children seem to be capable of liking the foods of their culture," Veit said. "It might take some children much longer than others."

In fact, she noted that repeated exposure can happen far more quickly than many parents expect: "If a child rejects [food], they won’t try again for weeks or months, but you can try again 30 seconds later."

For parents looking to encourage more adventurous eating, Veit believes one mindset from the past stands out above all: confidence.

Practically, that can mean allowing children to experience some hunger before meals and offering the same foods repeatedly without immediately providing alternatives.

Veit emphasized that this approach doesn't involve force or punishment, but rather consistency and encouragement.

She also reframed the conversation around children's eating habits as an opportunity rather than a battleground.

"Every time you teach a child to like something, like a new pleasure in this world, is a gift," Veit said.

Importantly, she stressed that parents are not to blame for rising levels of picky eating. Instead, she describes it as the result of broader historical and cultural shifts.

"At the same time, parents have far more power than they know. We can make changes that can help children learn to love food,” Veit said.

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 8:50 AM.