A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that kids with either moderate to high levels of food pickiness are twice as likely to develop depression and anxiety than children who exhibited normal characteristics.

The test sampling included more than 900 children between the ages of two and six. About 20% of them were determined to be fastidious in choosing only a restricted number of foods or could not eat socially because of their narrow preferences. (The Dispatch Times report here).

Eating habits that were considered to fall between moderate and severe were associated with even higher levels of depression, social anxiety and generalized anxiety.

Children that were selective with their food choices paralleled early symptoms of anxiety and other related mental impairments. Kids with less than moderate habits were believed to outgrow the disorder as they aged.

Results showed that adverse responses to particular foods were linked to sensory experiences that were warped and unnaturally intense with heightened awareness to food textures, smells, visual cues and motion.

Myles Faith, a nutrition researcher at Gillings School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, urged parents to be cognizant of picky eating, which can have a significant psychological impact.

Unwanted implications could influence the child’s growth, health, social function and could possibly affect the child’s relationship with its parents. Additionally, a comparison was made between registered values at the beginning of the testing to the end of it.

The data revealed that 18% of respondents had a reduced appetite after a two-year interval.

The way around a stubborn eater is too make meals a sociable activity and to socialize with the child.