Picky eaters are an endless source of frustration for parents, especially when kids refuse lovingly cooked family dinners in favor of chicken nuggets or mac and cheese. But are parents to blame when a child turns up his nose at anything green, or anything new, for that matter?

According to one study, sort of—because it’s genetic.

British researcher Lucy Cooke’s study of more than 5,000 pairs of twins ages 8 to 11 used a standard scale to score both kids’ and parents’ food neophobia, or fear of new foods. As summarized in the New York Times, the study found that 78 percent of that reluctance to try something new is hereditary; the remainder is environmental.

While that kind of data would make it easy for parents to throw up their hands and surrender to the power of genes, “biology is not destiny,” Patricia Pliner of the University of Toronto says. The key to overcoming food aversions is simple: try, try, then try again.

While Cooke’s study notes that “the process might be more laborious with a highly neophobic child,” researchers suggest presenting kids with the same food every day for between five to 14 days in an attempt to take the edge off the food fear.

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Of course, a lot of parents don’t have that kind of stamina. The Times article profiles Jessica Seinfeld’s elaborate attempts to slip veggies into her kids’ favorite foods without their knowledge. Her efforts resulted in a cookbook called “Deceptively Delicious.”

Pliner, for one, was skeptical of that strategy:

There is the issue of being found out, at which point a child might not trust new foods the parents present. And hiding foods doesn’t help a child learn to appreciate new tastes, she said.

“What we want children to do is like a lot of different foods,” she said. “If squash is perfectly disguised, children are not learning anything. Well, they are learning something, but it’s not to like squash.”

Perhaps parents can bolster their patience with the knowledge that pickiness, in addition to being genetic, may be hardwired by evolution:

Toddlers’ taste buds shut down at about the time they start walking, giving them more control over what they eat. “If we just went running out of the cave as little cave babies and stuck anything in our mouths, that would have been potentially very dangerous,” Cooke said.

Beyond persistence and sneakiness, there are a few other strategies parents can try in hopes of broadening food horizons:

  • Jazz up their veggies with sauce or a yummy dip like ranch dressing or cheese. (More calories, yes, but if it gets kids to try veggies, they’re worth it.)
  • Let them help you prepare the food. Researchers have found that kids who are involved in meal preparation are more likely to eat the meal!
  • Stay neutral when it comes to what your child will and won’t eat. Kids don’t respond well when they’re pressured to take a bite of something. On the flip side, don’t go overboard with praise when they do try something.
  • Model good eating habits. It may seem like common sense, but if you’re eating a cheeseburger while you expect your child to nosh on broccoli, they’re going to protest. It’s equally unproductive to go on extreme diets in front of a kid.

Do you think picky eaters are born or made? How have you introduced new foods to your child?

Pickiness part 2 of 3

1. 25 Ways to Avoid Raising a Picky Eater by Mrs. Bee
2. Picky Eating: Is it in the Genes? by Extra Extra
3. 11 Best Tips for Picky Eaters by Food

Picky Eating part 3 of 6

1. 25 Ways to Avoid Raising a Picky Eater by Mrs. Bee
2. 11 Best Tips for Picky Eaters by Food
3. Picky Eating: Is it in the Genes? by Extra Extra
4. The Psychology of a Picky Eater by Mrs. Chipmunk
5. French Kids Eat Everything? by Mrs. Bee
6. 10 Tips To Get Your Kids to Eat More by Mrs. Bee