What is Sensory Food Aversion?
Is your child's picky eating simply a way to exert their independence or do they have sensory food aversion?
"Picky eaters" is one of the most common challenges parents, particularly with young children, face. During this life stage, young children are experiencing many new things - new foods, new environments, new people. As you introduce a variety of foods into their diet, they're faced with foreign textures, flavours, smells, colours and forms.
For some children, this may result in a degree of picky eating behaviour. For others, they could have strong sensory reactions to certain types of foods. This is commonly referred to as sensory food aversion or selective eating.
What is sensory food aversion?
Sensory food aversion describes a sensory overreaction to particular types of food. The heightened sensory issues are trigged by the qualities of certain foods such as taste, texture, temperature and smell. In children with a diagnosed sensory processing disorder or Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), food selectively feeding issues are a major problem, with food texture and consistency being one of the most cited underlying factors in whether the child will consume or reject specific foods.
Young children may happily eat pureed food, for example, but they struggle to progress to lumpy or solid foods. Selective eating can also extend to particular foods based on their brand, the product name, the colour or even the way the food is packaged.
During mealtimes, sensory food aversion can manifest in general refusal to take a bite or spitting out the food or it can escalate to gagging and vomiting at even the sight or smell. The later can cause fear for your child and worsen the current eating challenges with children anticipating the same reaction is going to occur with other similar foods. For example, a young child gags on broccoli and may then reject any green veggies in fear they will have the same sensory experiences.
It's unknown why sensory food aversion occur and there is little research into the eating behaviour. However, it is often as a result of sensory input overload with children having difficulty processing the different aspects of eating.
What are the consequences of sensory food aversion?
Restricted diet
One of the major concerns with sensory food aversion and picky eating behaviour is that the child's diet becomes less varied. In children of ASD, the limited diet is reduced further than that of young children who are typically developing. This usually results in a reduced intake of veggies, fruit and meat and a higher intake of refined carbohydrates.
Nutrient deficiencies
Restricted intakes of food groups over an extended period can lead to nutrient deficiencies such as protein, iron, vitamin D, vitamin C and zinc. This may not only impair the child's development but nutritional insufficiency may be perpetuating the child's ASD. Children with strong food aversions are also at risk of weight gain due to the increased intake of refined carbohydrates and processed foods.
Concerned about your child’s nutrient status?
Book a consult with the Nutrition For Kids health practitioners to get a personalised health assessment for your child.
Increased Family stress
Selective eating and the overreaction of new foods can cause major power struggles and family stress, particularly at mealtimes. Parents are often concerned their child's food aversions are preventing them from meeting their nutritional needs. With limited food preferences, it also makes cooking for the family challenge and catering for the needs of multiple children even more difficult.
Social Isolation
This sensory processing disorder can also lead to social isolation with many young children, particularly those with ASD, becoming withdrawn. Children can become hesitant about going to their friend's house for a play date or eating at foreign places in fear they're going to be faced with particular foods.
What can you do if you suspect a sensory food aversion?
If you suspect your child has a sensory food aversion, it's worth talking to your paediatrician or health practitioner. The picky eating behaviours and overreactions towards the quality of certain types of foods may extend to an inability to tolerate loud sounds, textures of clothing, brushing teeth, having their hair washed etc. It's also worth ruling out any oral motor delays that could be causing the selective eating or as a result of the eating behaviour.
Working with a registered nutritionist can help to ensure your child's nutritional intake is adequate for their life stage and help to formulate strategies to expand your child's diet over time.
What's important is not to pressure your child into eating particular foods and to limit the power struggles where possible. If your child is experiencing gagging or vomiting, the offending foods should be removed. Children should be offered only small bites of new foods in amongst larger portions of their safe foods to encourage gradual exposure and desensitisation.
Modelling your own eating behaviours is also important to help increase the exposure to a variety of foods, especially with young children.
Above all, an interdisciplinary approach is required to address the needs of children who are demonstrating significant sensory food aversion and picky eating behaviour.
If you're struggling with picky eating and worried about your child’s nutrient intake, schedule a complimentary Wellness Discovery Call. We can discuss your struggles and some possible strategies that may help expand their diet and reduce the mealtime battles.