As many as half of all children are picky eaters at some point in early childhood. Many of us assume that’s just how kids naturally are, but historian Helen Zoe Veit has come to a radically different conclusion. After more than a decade reading memoirs, cookbooks and parenting manuals from the past 200 years, Helen found that picky eating is not inevitable. It is a modern cultural phenomenon.
Helen tells host Anita Rao how we got to the age of bland kids’ menus and dinner tables ruled by toddlers. Plus, she shares what lessons history has for modern-day parents.
Helen is the author of “Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History.” She’s also an associate professor of history at Michigan State University.
