Violet Wiker can’t tell you what’s for dinner. Ask her to weigh in on the menu, and her anxiety spikes so high she’ll change the conversation. Her husband cooks, navigating her red meat allergy and dairy restrictions.
She calls it picky eating, but it’s not a quirk—it’s a symptom. A tick bite in 2013 gave her alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat, dairy, and some medications. Additionally, she’s been tightly controlling food her whole life, the result of childhood trauma when a motorcycle accident killed her parents.
Wiker isn’t alone. Adult picky eating isn’t necessarily a sign of insolence. A misunderstood condition affecting millions, picky eating has medical causes from digestive disorders to nutrient deficiencies and life-threatening allergies.
Picky or Selective Eating?
Picky eating can arise from conscious and unconscious factors, many of which are benign and sometimes even beneficial, such as addressing a health condition or improving general health, according to UCLA gastroenterologist Dr. Berkeley N. Limketkai, spokesman for the American Gastroenterological Association.
“Picky eating by itself is not detrimental,” he told The Epoch Times. “Deciding whether to consume salmon versus tuna or beef versus chicken does not have major health implications.”
The danger comes when food restriction becomes unmanageable, particularly when picky eating crosses over into eating disorders. Those situations warrant immediate medical, nutritional, and psychiatric help, he noted.
Common Reasons for Picky Eating
Having food preferences or restrictions is normal, but they can sometimes become problematic. Learning to recognize why making food choices is difficult may help.
Sensory Struggles
Some people avoid food because of its appearance, smell, texture, or taste.
“Slimy foods are a big turnoff, probably for a lot of people, even people who aren’t notoriously picky eaters,” Ashley Oswald, dietitian and owner of Oswald Digestive Clinic, told The Epoch Times.
Technology can help expand food choices while making sure nutrition is on point, she said. Oswald’s strategy is to ask ChatGPT to quickly develop lists of foods with the textures, colors, or tastes you enjoy. You can also use the Cronometer app (available online) to log your food for the week and determine whether you are low in any vitamins or minerals.
“Then you could go to Chat GPT and say, ‘I’m not getting enough magnesium in my food. I only like crunchy foods. Can you give me some ideas for crunchy foods high in magnesium?” she said.
Oswald also suggests a desensitization strategy for working with picky eaters in a children’s clinic that adults can also try: Pair disliked foods with pleasurable ones, and expose yourself to rejected foods several times before writing them off permanently.
Tammy Derringer tried eating broccoli and eggs, but no matter how she prepares them, she can’t get past sensory issues. “I really wish sometimes I could eat eggs, because I know there’s all these good things in them for you, but I just can’t do it,” she told The Epoch Times. “There’s just something about the smell and the texture of them.”
Lack of Cooking Knowledge
Sometimes, picky eating is simply the result of not knowing how to plan and eat a balanced meal. Even experienced home cooks can get stuck in a rut due to busy circumstances or health problems that drain energy, Oswald said.
“Two generations ago, it’d be a little bit unheard of to meet somebody who doesn’t know how to cook, but it’s becoming more common,” she said. “But at the same time, we do have new technology like air fryers, for example, that makes it easier.”
For Derringer, learning to cook more varied whole foods has been part of supporting her husband’s diabetes management—and gradually expanding her own palate in the process.
Preparing food from scratch at home has the added benefit of being able to remove ingredients such as onions that are offensive to her.
Digestive Distress
For people with inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance, or celiac disease, certain foods trigger bloating, gas, loose stool, or constipation, Limketkai noted. Avoiding these foods isn’t pickiness—it’s self-preservation.
The challenge is that some people adapt easily, while others spiral into increasingly restrictive eating patterns.
“Some individuals may simply avoid dairy—or whatever food triggers they may have—and otherwise enjoy many delectable cuisines,” Limketkai said. “Others may not adapt so well and become increasingly selective in their food choices. Some may even jump directly to severely limit their options.”
Where restriction becomes severe, it may signal a condition called avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, a type of eating disorder that involves a lack of interest in eating and fear of pain or harm from eating. This condition requires professional intervention from dietitians, therapists, or other specialists.
The biggest concern is whether someone is eating a balanced diet of macronutrients—carbohydrates, protein, and fat—and getting adequate vitamins and minerals, Limketkai said.
However, standard medical care doesn’t include regular and thorough testing of adults for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, Oswald said. You may need to specifically request testing from your doctor, see a functional provider, or order online tests if you suspect your vitamin and mineral levels are low.
Food Allergies
A growing number of adults are developing food allergies, which can cause a spectrum of mild to severe reactions, including hives, itchy skin or throat, swelling, difficulty swallowing, wheezing, digestive symptoms, and loss of consciousness. Anyone can develop a food allergy at any time, but they are more common in those with existing allergies, asthma, or eczema.
One analysis of health insurance claims for anaphylactic food reactions—systemic and often life-threatening reactions involving breathing and skin problems—found they rose 377 percent in a decade. Among those claims, 34 percent involved adults.
“I’ve seen dietitians for the allergy, but it’s a hard one, because nobody can treat that,” Wiker said, noting that it’s been difficult for her to completely avoid all animal byproducts and the reactions that come with them.
Food allergy tests are imperfect, though they offer more accurate information than at-home food sensitivity or intolerance testing. An allergist can help provide the most accurate diagnosis, rule out other conditions, and help you prevent and respond to allergic reactions. Allergies can develop at any time to any food.
Zinc Deficiency
More than one-third of adults 60 and older are deficient in zinc, which can cause loss of appetite and alter smell and taste. Zinc levels are also low in those with severe eating disorders, and one study noted it could be responsible for high relapse rates.
“Zinc deficiency can perpetuate picky eating,” Oswald noted, adding that it might cause food to taste bland, dull, or even unpleasant.
Many medical conditions, such as Crohn’s, liver or kidney disease, and Type 2 diabetes, can increase your body’s need for zinc, quickly deplete your zinc, and prevent your digestive system from absorbing it. Testing alone is rarely able to determine if you’re absorbing enough zinc, though your doctor can help you determine if you are deficient and whether you should consider supplementation.
Zinc is best obtained from meat sources, as amino acids aid absorption. Natural compounds in beans, nuts, grains, seeds, and legumes inhibit absorption.
When to Speak Up
If your loved one is eating all essential nutrients, there’s no need to intervene—unless it’s to help them find a more tasty alternative.
“There are often different types of foods that can provide the same nutrient, so creative identification of other more palatable or tolerated options of foods could still serve the same goal of expanding the palate with less friction,” Limketkai said. “Encouragement, support, and patience are central to helping one navigate the difficulties of picky eating.”
Education and counseling can offer encouragement and support for those willing to try either, Limketkai added.
For Wiker, having a supportive partner who understands her complex relationship with food has been essential. He doesn’t pressure her about meal planning. He simply cooks, works around her restrictions, and ensures healthy food is available.
“He knows that if he makes it, I’ll eat it,” she said.
That quiet accommodation, rooted in understanding rather than judgment, may be exactly what picky eaters need most.