Macro- and micronutrient intakes in picky eaters: a cause for concern?

Abstract

Background: Picky eating (PE) is characterized by an unwillingness to eat certain foods and by strong food preferences. PE may result in lower intakes of energy and nutrients, which may compromise health.Objectives: We quantified nutrient and food group intakes in children identified as picky eaters or nonpicky eaters and compared intakes between groups and with United Kingdom reference nutrient intakes.Design: PE was identified in an observational cohort (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children) from questionnaires administered when children were aged 2, 3, 4.5, and 5.5 y. Dietary intake was assessed at 3.5 and 7.5 y with a 3-d food record. The dietary assessment at 3.5 y compared picky eaters with nonpicky eaters identified at age 3 y, and the assessment at 7.5 y compared longitudinally defined PE groups.Results: Picky eaters aged 3 y had lower mean carotene, iron, and zinc intakes than nonpicky eaters. There were similar differences between the longitudinally defined PE groups. Iron and zinc intakes were most likely to be below recommended amounts, with free sugar intake much higher than recommended. There were no significant differences in energy intakes between the groups, and intakes were adequate relative to estimated average requirements. Nutrient differences were explained by lower intakes of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruits in picky eaters than in nonpicky eaters. There were higher intakes of sugary foods and drinks in older picky eaters.Conclusions: PE did not result in compromised macronutrient intakes, although intakes of zinc and iron were more likely to be below recommendations for picky eaters than for nonpicky eaters. Emphasis should be placed on allaying parental concerns about picky eaters being prone to inadequate nutrient intakes and on encouraging all parents to extend their child’s diet to include more nutrient-rich items, especially fruits and vegetables, and less nutrient-poor sugary foods.

Abstracts

“…Parents in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children who described their children as "very choosy" consumed 36% less fruits and 52% less vegetables (both P < 0.05) than children described as "never choosy" (Taylor et al, 2016). Participatory approaches such as cooking skill-based interventions have potential to improve F&V consumption in early years settings (Garcia et al, 2014), but their impact on FF has not been investigated.…”

Measuring energy, macro and micronutrient intake in UK children and adolescents: a comparison of validated dietary assessment tools

“…There is a potential to use new mobile and online technologies, especially for adolescents, with tools validated using independent biomarkers where available, to assess nutrient intakes, this data is missing for zinc, iodine, selenium and limited for sugar intake in children and adolescents. Sugar intakes exceed recommendations in the UK [3], and is associated with poor nutritional status in children [32,62,63]; making it an area of current public concern which has resulted in a UK soft drinks levy. Studies also need to incorporate a range of more appropriate statistical methods, such as the Bland-Altman LOA, to ensure reliability and comparability of results.…”

Picky eating dan status gizi pada anak prasekolah

“…Beberapa anak umur 3 tahun yang beberapa picky eater memiliki kebiasaan minum susu dalam volume yang besar. 28 Konsumsi susu sangat penting untuk kalsium, tetapi kelebihan minum susu dapat menyebabkan penurunan nafsu makan dan asupan makanan lainnya. 24 Konsumsi susu dianjurkan tidak lebih dari tiga gelas setiap hari.…”