Picky : how American children became the fussiest eaters in history / Helen Zoe Veit.

Author/creator Veit, Helen Zoe author.
Format Book
EditionFirst edition.
PublicationNew York : St. Martin's Press, 2026
Copyright Date©2026
Description290 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Subjects

Portion of title How American children became the fussiest eaters in history
Contents Introduction: The invention of mass pickiness -- Little omnivores -- Food and fear -- The experts -- Pickiness as privilege -- Overbearing mothers -- Selling pickiness -- Eat your vegetables -- Naturally picky -- Epilogue: Happy meals.
Abstract "Are children naturally picky? It sure seems that way. Yet, amazingly, pickiness used to be almost nonexistent. Well into the 20th century, Americans saw children as joyful omnivores who were naturally curious and eager to eat. Of course, this doesn't make sense today. Don't kids have special taste buds? Aren't they highly sensitive to food's texture and color? Aren't children incapable of liking 'adult foods,' and don't parents risk harming kids psychologically by urging them to eat? But Americans in the past didn't think any of those things. They assumed that children could enjoy the same foods as adults, and children almost always did. They loved spicy relishes, vinegary pickles, and bitter greens. They spent their allowances on raw oysters and looked forward to their daily coffee. So how did modern kids become such incredibly narrow eaters? The story is fascinating--and about much more than rising abundance. Picky shows how fussy eating came to define 'children's food' and reshape American diets at large. Maybe most importantly, it explains how we can still use the tools that parents used in the past to raise happy, healthy, wildly un-picky kids today."-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 195-278) and index.
Issued in other formOnline version: Veit, Helen Zoe. Picky : how American children became the fussiest eaters in history. First edition. New York : St Martin's Press, 2026. 9781250402677 1250402670
Genre/formPopular works
Genre/formInstructional and educational works
Genre/formInformational works.
Genre/formDocuments d'information.
ISBN9781250402509
ISBN1250402506 (hardcover)
ISBN(ebook)
ISBN(ebook)

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