What Is the Picky Eaters Test? And when is picky eating a concern?

Young people can often be labelled as ‘picky eaters’. They develop the need for some autonomy as they grow and making their own food choices is a way of having some control over their lives. 

Food likes and dislikes usually change over time, but it is more of a worry if they become very entrenched and increasingly limited over time.

The picky eater test is a way of trying to quantify how much of a problem someone’s diet is. It is a list of foods which more commonly present difficulties for those with limited diets, either due to having strong flavours or different textures. 1 point is scored for each food on the list that your child wouldn’t eat. You will end up with a score which puts them into a category as follows:

0-2 points Food Lover

3-5 points Average Picky Eater

6+ points Extreme Picky Eater

The picky eaters test can also document emotions around food and whether whole food groups are being eliminated from the diet. As it gives a score, it allows for comparison over time and can be used to measure the response to any interventions. It can also help to put any worries you have as a parent into perspective or it can give you the evidence you need to take to a health professional about your concerns.

Key red flags to look out for:

• Very limited diet. A diet of less than 10 different foods is a sign of ARFID  (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) which needs specialist support
• Significant stress around meals
• Weight loss or growth issues
• Interfering with social activities

Don’t panic—mild picky eating is a normal part of young people’s development

Complete the picky eaters test if you are worried as this will help to clarify how much of a problem there is (or isn’t)

• Take the pressure off. Emotions can run high if your Young Mind is not eating well. Showing  how much it bothers you will not help. You need to behave as if it doesn’t matter if they eat the food or not
• Offer lots of different foods to taste, give choices where either option is fine. ie do you want peas or beans? This helps young minds to feel they have some control over the situation
• Pick your battles- if they will eat more food in a room by themselves, it may not be ideal but does it matter that much? Decide which things do or don’t matter to your family and then be consistent.
• Don’t put on any pressure to eat food or use bribery- it is not a sustainable strategy and might backfire

It is easy to underestimate the impact that good nutrition has on our bodies and brains. 

We need to have the right building blocks to make neurotransmitters (the brain’s messengers) which stabilise our mood and emotions. 

It is not only the emotional health and wellbeing of the young person which can be affected by picky eating. Mealtime stress can cause anxiety for all and can negatively affect the other family members too, impacting on family dynamics and relationships.

Chirpy’s mission is to help kids have more ‘good mood days’. Look at the other Chirpy Headucation blog posts for more information on how to support young minds.

If after reading this you are worried about your child then contact your GP or school nurse for support.