Selective eating

A variety of behaviours whereby people are highly selective in what they eat and do not eat are known as picky eating or selective eating. Picky eating is common in younger children[1] and can be a cause of concern for parents. It is also seen in many adults.[2] There is no generally accepted definition of picky eating.[3][4] It is generally associated with increased food neophobia.[4] It can be associated with rejecting mixed or lumpy foods.[5] It can also be associated with sensory sensitivity.[6]

Picky eating in children may lead to a nutritionally poor diet, but cases mostly resolve with age.[3][4]

Picky eating can be measured with a list heuristic, where the number of foods that the person rejects on a standard list is counted.[2] Adult picky eating may show some relationship to measures of anxiety,[2] depression and OCD.[5]

There is debate as to whether picky eating represents an eating disorder or is related to eating disorders.[7] Some extreme forms of picky eating are recognised as psychological disorders, like avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, or have been proposed as psychological disorders, as with orthorexia nervosa.