Food selectivity: can your sensitivity lead you to reject foods?

Since we were little, they insist that we should eat everything. They urge us to try and include all types of foods in our diet in order to enjoy better health. In most cases, although small difficulties may arise, children end up accepting this variety. However, There is a small group for whom this represents an insurmountable challenge., not only in childhood but also in adulthood. This is what is known as food selectivity.

As we said, there are many children who experience certain difficulties with food, especially at certain periods. They may have a poor appetite, refuse to try new foods, reject certain food groups, or have strong preferences. However, these are transitory states that, with good action by caregivers, can be reversed without too much difficulty.

The case of food selectivity is much more complex. It is not a question of time nor of the way in which parents offer food. Those who have it, They can reach adulthood without having made much progress with respect to their dietary variety. But why is it? We explore the answer below.

What is food selectivity?

Food selectivity is a condition that leads the person to suffer a great aversion to foods based on their sensory characteristics. That is to say, rejection can be caused by the color of the food, its smell, its texture, its temperature… flavor is not the only factor involved.

Is about a characteristic of a neurological trait known as high sensitivity (AS), so people with AS are more likely to manifest it. It is also common for it to occur in those who are part of the autism spectrum.

It is important to mention that since it is a genetic and hereditary trait, it is not because the parents have done a poor job of parenting, nor because the child is capricious or spoiled. Rather we talk about an instinct, a defense mechanism which is set in motion by the brain’s inability to process sensory stimuli.

Sensory integration is the process by which we receive and organize information that comes from our senses (whether externally, from the environment, or from our own body). People with high sensitivity perceive and process much more information than usual and in much greater depth. and this can make sensory integration difficult.

Taken to the field of food, these people perceive in a fraction of a second multiple aspects related to food; and, Feeling overwhelmed, they choose to reject it as a form of protection.

Symptoms and signs

As you see, It is a different reality than picky eaters or picky eaters. It is not a matter of taste, but of instinct. It is not a transitory phase either, but rather a quality that accompanies the person for life. In order to identify if you suffer from sensory food selectivity, the following signs can be observed:

Person rejects more foods than he accepts. Her sensory aversion may lead her to tolerate only about 10 or 15 foods. The variety of foods accepted does not change depending on how many times the child is exposed to trying a product.Food should always be the same, from the same brand and cooked in the same way. Not even the slightest modifications are tolerated. There is usually a preference for dry, crunchy and homogeneous foods (like toast or French fries). And this is because these products are usually always the same and the person knows what to expect from them. A fruit, for example, can be larger or smaller, sweet or sour, juicy or not, depending on the moment, and this saturates the senses.High sensitivity does not only occur in relation to food, but it covers other aspects. For example, the person often feels bothered by bright lights or loud noises, or feels uncomfortable by the seams and labels on clothing. Her emotions are also experienced more deeply and expressed intensely. Her aversion to food is such that it not only generates a refusal to eat it. It can also make the person feel very uncomfortable at the thought of having to ingest them or having them around.

How to address sensory food selectivity?

For parents of children with sensory food selectivity, it is a great concern that their children refuse to accept the vast majority of foods. But for the children themselves (and the adults they become) it is not easy either.

Generally, They spend their lives being criticized and judged for their eating behavior and experience continuous pressure from the environment. This generates a very negative view of food and the moment of eating with others generates enormous anxiety, discomfort and fear.

The truth is There is no way to eliminate food selectivity, as part of a neurological trait. Neither psychology, nor occupational therapy nor other interventions will be able to reverse it. However, there are some guidelines to handle it or manage its consequences.

On the one hand, progress in this aspect is closely related to the development of the prefrontal cortex. It is the maturation of this brain area that allows a person to stop being governed only by impulses and can make rational decisions; and this is when the person can consciously choose to introduce certain foods even against their instinct. But it is almost impossible for this to happen before the age of 10, so forcing or trying to convince a younger child will be in vain.

On the other hand, it is essential do not pressure, judge or threaten the child with food selectivity. As we said, this will keep your body on alert when eating and not only will there be no progress, but strong emotional discomfort will be generated.

A guideline that can be followed, to try to implement a healthier diet, is to eat the child’s safe foods (those that the child accepts) and introduce small variations. For example, offering baked potatoes instead of fried ones or adding a vegetable to the fruit juice that is tolerated.

In short, sensory food selectivity is complex and the best support will always be understanding. Despite this, therapists can offer guidelines to promote sensory integration, help the child make rational decisions and improve other manifestations of high sensitivity, which is why it is important to go to them.

You might be interested…