Helen Veit, "Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History" (St Martin's Press, 2026)

About this episode

Dr. Helen Veit discusses her book on the evolution of children's eating habits in America.

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: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History (St Martin's Press, 2026) by Dr. Helen Veit 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…

People in this episode

Host: Marshall Poe

Guest: Helen Veit

Topics covered

• childhood eating habits
• food preferences
• American diets
• parenting
• historical food culture

Keywords

• picky eaters
• children's food
• food culture
• parenting strategies
• historical diets

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: St Martin's Press

Books & works: Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History

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