Food Jagging in Kids: A Guide For Parents
Most kids go through phases of picky eating at some point in childhood.
But, while being selective about food is very common in young children, some kids get stuck in a cycle of only wanting to eat a very limited number of foods before eventually rejecting these foods once they get tired of them.
This phenomenon is known as ‘food jagging’, and it’s a common issue in young kids.
But, understanding the causes of food jagging and how to manage it can reduce the stress for parents and help your little one get the nutrition they need to thrive.
What exactly is food jagging?
A ‘food jag’ happens when a child consistently eats only one or a few specific foods, prepared in the same way, while refusing all others.
Eventually, they tend to ‘burn out’ on these foods and suddenly reject them. The food is then lost from their diet, leading to an ever-decreasing number of accepted foods.
This limited variety can lead to poor nutrition and consequences for growth and development.
Examples of food jags
Food jagging can happen at any age but is most common in toddlers.
Some kids are extremely selective about the foods they’ll eat, while others may rotate through a limited variety of foods.
A food jag might look like:
Only eating peanut butter sandwiches on white bread for every meal
Refusing anything except a specific brand of macaroni and cheese for dinner every night
Only eating a particular type of crackers for snacks
Eating bananas as their only fruit
What causes food jagging?
Like picky eating, multiple things can contribute to food jagging in kids, including:
Developmental stage
Food jagging often begins in the toddler years, a time when food selectivity tends to increase for a variety of reasons.
During the toddler years, children are developing their independence and have an increasing desire for control. Nothing feels quite as powerful to a toddler as refusing the meals their parents so desperately want them to eat!
Secondly, toddlers have an inbuilt aversion to new foods called ‘neophobia’. This is thought to be a survival instinct to protect them from eating potentially toxic plants etc (useful in the caveman days, not so much now!).
This can result in an insistence on only eating familiar foods that they feel comfortable with.
Sensory processing issues
Children with sensory processing difficulties can struggle with the sensory aspects of eating such as texture, smell and taste, meaning they’re more selective with their food choices.
They may also be drawn to certain textures, smells or tastes based on their sensory needs.
Eating is one of the only activities that use all eight of our sensory systems, so meal times are a big sensory experience for kids which can be overwhelming.
Underlying medical conditions
Food jagging can sometimes be due to medical conditions such as constipation, reflux or other gastrointestinal issues.
These issues can make eating an uncomfortable experience for kids and contribute to fussiness around particular foods or eating in general.
If a medical condition is the underlying cause of food jagging, then any prevention strategies are unlikely to be of benefit until the underlying condition is addressed.
If you suspect your child may have an underlying medical condition, or you’re not sure, consult their doctor.
Taste preferences
Like adults, not all kids taste food in the same way. Some kids have strong preferences for sweet or salty foods and some taste certain flavours such as bitterness more strongly than other kids.
Food aversions
Children can easily develop a negative association with particular foods, particularly if they’ve had feeding difficulties in the past or if they ate a particular food and then became unwell.
Some children struggle to eat from an early age or don’t transition well to solid food, meaning when they finally do eat a particular food, it can be tempting to offer this food at every meal and inadvertently encourage a food jag.
Consequences of food jagging
While some picky eating is normal in young kids, persistent food jagging can have negative consequences, including:
A decreasing number of accepted foods
If each food a child jags on is then rejected and lost from their diet, there can end up being only a very small number of accepted foods.
This limited range of accepted foods can limit overall nutrient intake and can also become extremely stressful for parents and caregivers as they’re left constantly scrambling to find foods their child will accept.
Nutrient deficiencies
Limited food intake and a poor variety of foods in the diet can result in a lack of essential nutrients needed for optimal growth and development.
Restricted palate
As children try different foods, their palate expands and they learn to accept and enjoy a wider variety of foods.
But if only a very small number of foods are eaten, palate development is restricted.
Mealtime stress
Most parents can relate to the stress that constant meal refusal or battles over food choices can result in at mealtimes.
As well as increasing your own stress levels, this can negatively impact your relationship with your child and also your child’s relationship with food.
How to prevent food jags
I’m guessing if you're reading this blog, it may be too late to prevent food jags in your child.
But if you’re in the early stages of picky eating, there are some strategies for reducing the risk of food jags developing.
Offer a variety of foods prepared in different ways
While they might not eat them all, aim to offer a good variety of different foods for your child to choose from. Keeping as much variety as possible in your child’s diet helps to avoid food jags developing.
It’s a good idea to offer new and ‘learning to like’ foods alongside favourite foods so that your child feels reassured there’s something they’re comfortable eating. This can also mean they’re more likely to try the new food.
Avoid offering the same foods on consecutive days.
The main strategy for avoiding food jags is preventing your child from eating too much of a particular food in the first place.
Avoiding a routine of having the same foods over and over again means they’re much less likely to ‘burn out’ on any one food.
Even if your child is constantly asking for a particular food, aim to serve it no more than once every second day.
This can be tricky with picky eaters, but writing a list of all the foods your child eats and then rotating through these foods is a good way to offer as much variety as possible.
No grazing
Offering a lot of snacks can reduce the stress that parents feel when their children aren’t eating much at meals or are very picky about what they eat.
But frequent snacking can mean that kids just aren’t hungry enough at mealtimes to bother with foods they don’t love.
Scheduling meal and snack times and sticking to them is a good way to ensure kids are hungry at mealtimes. Keep snacks small and spaced at least 1.5-2 hours from mealtimes so that kids are genuinely hungry when they sit down to eat their meals.
And finally, snack time doesn’t mean treat time.
Aim to make the foods offered at snack times similar to those offered at mealtimes - fruit, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, etc. If snack foods are more appealing than meal foods, kids can learn to simply refuse their meals and hold out for the next snack.
Avoid filling up on liquids
Offering too many drinks such as milk or juice can fill up small tummies so that once again, kids aren’t all that hungry at mealtimes.
For children over the age of 12 months, water should be the main drink and milk should be limited to no more than 500ml each day.
Involve kids in meal preparation
Kids are more likely to eat a meal they’re helped prepare, so get them involved in meal planning, shopping and cooking meals.
Even if they don’t eat the meal, they’re at least learning valuable life skills!
Make mealtimes enjoyable
Even if your child isn’t going to get excited about the food on offer, that doesn’t have to mean that mealtimes can’t be fun. Keep the atmosphere and conversation light, rather than talking about what they are or aren’t eating.
Avoid pressuring your child to eat certain foods as this can backfire and result in an even more negative association with these foods and less willingness to try them.
Shift your focus and make the goal a positive interaction with a new food, whether it’s eaten or not.
How to manage food jagging
If your child has already developed a food jag, don’t despair.
While it can be challenging to manage, there are some strategies that can help parents navigate food jagging and encourage a more varied and balanced diet:
Make small changes to accepted foods
Make small, gradual changes to your child’s preferred food by offering them in a slightly different form. Try changing at least one sensory property of the food such as the shape, colour, taste, texture or temperature.
Aim for small changes that are noticeable but not significant enough that your child refuses the food.
For example, if your child only eats cheese sandwiches for lunch, cut the sandwich into a different shape, use a different brand of cheese or try a toasted sandwich instead.
Once a food is accepted in a new form, wait a couple of weeks before making another change.
Be patient
It can be stressful and frustrating when your child only eats a very limited number of foods.
Food jags can take time to work through and aren’t a problem that can be solved overnight. Keep in mind that progress may be very gradual and at times it might feel like you’re not getting anywhere.
Try to manage your expectations, stay patient but persistent and look for small wins along the way!
Get help from a professional if you need it
If your child’s food jagging persists and you’re worried that they might not be getting the nutrients they need, don’t feel that you have to deal with it all on your own.
A paediatric dietitian can provide personalised advice for your child and help you navigate this tricky issue.
