Well the truth is a bit more complicated. Of course. Because some kids are really picky eaters and some aren't. But the thing is that many of them will grow into being a picky eater and then grow out of being a picky eater. Here is the story.
I did some more reading on the subject of tastes between kids and adults, because I think adults can "stand" more tastes where as kids can not. Ever try giving a pepper mint or even just some mint to a toddler? ouch. Why do we have to buy two types of toothpaste, one for us grown ups and one for the kids? Because the kids really cant stand the grown up tooth paste. It burns them. My 4 year old can barely take the taste of her kids tooth paste.
Well naturally because of the taste buds. Kids have as many as 30 000 taste buds on their tongues. Adults more like 10 000 (other numbers quoted have been 10 000 taste buds in children and 5000 in adults). In fact super taster adults have more taste buds left on their tongue and they can detect minute changes in ingredients and can not "take" hyped up food. They prefer played down, milder tastes, just like kids, because they have more taste buds. People and kids who have more taste buds have more of an intense reaction to all foods. Ever taste breast milk? It is rather boring and even watery or ... but to a new born it is enough. For them it even has the taste of vanilla.
Many articles mention that kids and toddlers are "sensitive" or just don't like bitter tastes. "Bitter" is an acquired taste which usually doesn't come until the twenties. Bitter can be akin to the taste of poison to kids. This makes it difficult to feed the veggies because most veggies aren't high on the sugar tasting content, and often bitter. My littlest girl wont eat a carrot. Spinach, forget it for all of them. Sweet taste doesn't overwhelm their taste buds and is also associated with good memories.
Babies will eat a lot more things, mostly mashed up, but they become more limited after about 18 months (I am trying to find the source for this comment, I did read it). Then they may turn into the picky eaters which will drive you crazy for the next.... um... about ten years.
But hold on, and keep the faith because many of the writings say that when the kids start to become teenagers, they lose their taste for the ultra sweet stuff of youth and start to venture out even to the bitter edge of the galaxy, though maybe not so willingly. This is when your kids will turn back to vegetables and give them another try. I remember how my sister when she became a teenager she got so turned on to carrots that in fact she started turning orange in her hands and extremes. Seriously.
The problem is that we also associate taste and good taste with good memories. So, if you were nagging your kids for ten years to eat their veggies, by the time they actually WANT to eat their veggies they will have only bad memories of vegetables and still wont want to eat them, even if now they might have developed a taste for them.
This is like an epiphany for me. I have to lay off the nagging and make sure I don't give a negative memory association with vegetables. This puts things in a different light. I may even stop urging them to eat vegetables altogether and let them eat what they want... Maybe. At any rate, this is a game changer for me and I still have to mull it over in my head about how to tackle this in light of my new information. My daughter who is very sensitive and doesn't like carrots might even be a super taster and we don't know it.
The best advice I read was, even if your kids don't like many of the things, or healthy eating now, just keep trying with them. And keep setting a good example. If they see you eating a salad every day, it may take a while, but maybe by the time they are a teenager they might start eating a salad every day too. You cant tell now when they are 4 or 7, you might get really frustrated and depressed trying to get them to eat "good food", but it may pay off, uh, later. You just have to eat what you know is good and healthy and they (hopefully) will come around to your line of thinking too. In other words, STAY PATIENT. It will work out. Probably.
source links for information on kids and taste buds.
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/menus/kids-taste-buds.htm
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/jan/29/changing-tastes-food-and-aging
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/difference-between-taste-buds-adults-kids-27362.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050211084620.htm
Was listening to Death and Vanilla while writing this:
https://www.facebook.com/Death-And-Vanilla-114660564210/
Check them out. Sort of psychedelic retro chill out. Reissues coming out in May. Vinyl will be available at http://www.maximum.cz/
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