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Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History
An eye-opening investigation into why American kids no longer eat broadly and with gusto
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 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 that parents used in the past to raise happy, healthy, wildly un-picky kids today.
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 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 that parents used in the past to raise happy, healthy, wildly un-picky kids today.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 24, 2026
82 people are currently reading
5515 people want to read
About the author
Helen Zoe Veit
8 books14 followersHelen Zoe Veit is an award-winning historian and writer. An associate professor of history at Michigan State University, she is the director of the What America Ate and the America in the Kitchen projects, was an advisor for HBO's The Gilded Age, and is a former editor of Gastronomica. She is often cited in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and more. Her book Modern Food, Moral Food was a James Beard Award finalist, and her edited volume Food in the Civil War Era: The North won a Gourmand International award.
source: Amazon
source: Amazon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
November 20, 2025
2.5 stars
This is an exhaustive history of the dietary habits of children but there’s nothing here to help parents who struggle on a daily basis with picky children,
I have (now adult) children who have an adventurous healthy palate for a wide variety of foods. So why are my grandchildren Picky McPicky? I don’t know? I was hoping to glean helpful tips. But there’s nothing here that isn’t widely available with a quick google search.
If you are interested in the palates of children in previous generations, this is the book for you.
If you are looking for helpful tips, there’s nothing here that you can’t find in a Google search.
The last 50% of the book is a bibliography
I received a digital review copy via NetGalley
All opinions are my own
This is an exhaustive history of the dietary habits of children but there’s nothing here to help parents who struggle on a daily basis with picky children,
I have (now adult) children who have an adventurous healthy palate for a wide variety of foods. So why are my grandchildren Picky McPicky? I don’t know? I was hoping to glean helpful tips. But there’s nothing here that isn’t widely available with a quick google search.
If you are interested in the palates of children in previous generations, this is the book for you.
If you are looking for helpful tips, there’s nothing here that you can’t find in a Google search.
The last 50% of the book is a bibliography
I received a digital review copy via NetGalley
All opinions are my own
October 28, 2025
The first thing you should know about this book is that it is a cultural history written by a historian. Viet is an expert in the history of food and its attendant social, and familial ramifications, with some detours into psychology. Veit has clearly done an enormous amount of research into what people have eaten, and how those practices and patterns have evolved over decades or even centuries. The first couple of chapters are just that: examples of foods eaten by people, largely in North America in the last century or so, but also include reports of diets in communities across the globe. Veit’s premise is that in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, kids ate exactly what their parents ate. They loved vegetables. They drank coffee. They loved spicy, heavily salted or preserved foods. They ate what was on the table and they liked it. There was no pickiness.
Then, enter the “experts” – the quotation marks are Veit’s. In an era lacking antibiotics or other effective medications, many children (and adults) died of a variety of diseases. Some children, notably indigenous, minority, or immigrant children, faced poverty and insufficient nutrition. “Nutrition scientists” (again, Veit’s quote marks) began to explore the benefit or dangers of diet. Nursing a sick child seemed to demand special foods: bland, mild foods that would not upset a child’s “delicate digestion,” or “strengthening” foods like liver or meat broths. Children’s digestive systems were seen to be special, different from adults. Nuts and fiber were said to be dangerous; whole grains would “disarrange” a child’s intestines. Vegetables should be boiled into mush. Granted, much of this advice was wrong-headed, so many of these experts deserved Veit’s scare quotes. By the 1930s, parents were subject to an onslaught of advice, warnings, recommendations, and rules about what their kids should eat, how much and when. I especially loved a recommended children’s menu comprising Creamed Calves Brains on Toast, Stuffed Prune Salad, Lima Bean Casserole, Red-Hot Bananas, and Liver-Paste Sandwiches. I couldn’t resist checking the reference on that, which curiously cited an article by Dr. Morris Fishbein (among others), head of the American Medical Association, which said nothing at all about these delicious recipes. Hmm.
There is actually a wealth of fascinating material in subsequent chapters, covering the pressure placed on parents regarding what to feed their kids. One small 2-year study of motherless children living in a hospital for two years laid out an array of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats raw and cooked, and let them free feed entirely independently. They ate everything. They thrived. One boy ate liver for breakfast every day, till he got tired of it and switched to something else. The media went wild, shouting that this proved that you should should let your kids eat whatever they wanted and it would be fine… ignoring the fact that the foods offered were all wholesome, healthful choices. So yes, they did well.
On to the 1950s, with the appearance of Dr. Spock and his gentler, more permissive, friendly advice. A convinced Freudian, he urged that forcing a reluctant child to eat something she did not like was cruel and could cause deep psychological damage. What were anxious parents (read: mothers) to do? The advice was pouring in from all sides, and if you didn’t make sure your child ate the right foods in the right way, you were a lousy parent and might be damaging your child irreparably.
Enter the sea change in food availability and marketing. With technological progress, most families had refrigerators and convenient stoves and ovens. Foods that had been limited to certain regions or seasons were now available year round and locally. Choices exploded in expanding grocery stores. Kids were towed along the aisles of A&P. And the marketers starting adding sugars, salt, preservatives, and cartoon characters on the labeling. “Mom! Buy me THAT cereal!” And a whole new wave of “kid foods” poured across the country.
And so, here we are. So many choices, many of them less than healthy. If a kid refused the veggies on the dinner table, he’d be offered snacks to tide him over till morning. If he didn’t like a particular food, it would vanish from the repertoire – he won! As one boy put it: “If I don’t like what Mom buys, she has to eat it herself.”
Veit concludes that the appropriate response to a picky child is to repeatedly offer a disliked food, to the extent of “popping it right into the child’s mouth” until the child “learns to like it.” She believes any kid can be taught to like pretty much anything: witness the huge variety of foods kids scarfed down and loved in the last century. She makes no mention at all of children with developmental disorders, such as autism. Her sources lean heavily on newspaper and magazine articles, historical documents, letters, cookbooks – and comparatively few actual medical studies, while she frequently mentions a lack of studies to support ideas that she criticizes. A cursory search of PubMed (“picky and (eating or eaters)” in article titles) produced nearly two hundred articles, delving into nutritional, health status, management, psychological and developmental aspects of the picky eater. It is not clear that Veit has examined this literature in as much depth as the problem warrants. In this day of scientific evidence being all too readily dismissed or challenged, her final advice in the epilogue is troubling. While there is much to admire in the detailed presentation of the effects of history, culture, society, and corporate and technological developments on the issue of food aversions and picky eating in today’s children, this book is not one that offers much in the way of recommendations to worried parents of those kids. Conversations with knowledgeable pediatricians, psychologists, and nutrition specialists would be an essential addition for those concerned parents.
I thank NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Then, enter the “experts” – the quotation marks are Veit’s. In an era lacking antibiotics or other effective medications, many children (and adults) died of a variety of diseases. Some children, notably indigenous, minority, or immigrant children, faced poverty and insufficient nutrition. “Nutrition scientists” (again, Veit’s quote marks) began to explore the benefit or dangers of diet. Nursing a sick child seemed to demand special foods: bland, mild foods that would not upset a child’s “delicate digestion,” or “strengthening” foods like liver or meat broths. Children’s digestive systems were seen to be special, different from adults. Nuts and fiber were said to be dangerous; whole grains would “disarrange” a child’s intestines. Vegetables should be boiled into mush. Granted, much of this advice was wrong-headed, so many of these experts deserved Veit’s scare quotes. By the 1930s, parents were subject to an onslaught of advice, warnings, recommendations, and rules about what their kids should eat, how much and when. I especially loved a recommended children’s menu comprising Creamed Calves Brains on Toast, Stuffed Prune Salad, Lima Bean Casserole, Red-Hot Bananas, and Liver-Paste Sandwiches. I couldn’t resist checking the reference on that, which curiously cited an article by Dr. Morris Fishbein (among others), head of the American Medical Association, which said nothing at all about these delicious recipes. Hmm.
There is actually a wealth of fascinating material in subsequent chapters, covering the pressure placed on parents regarding what to feed their kids. One small 2-year study of motherless children living in a hospital for two years laid out an array of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats raw and cooked, and let them free feed entirely independently. They ate everything. They thrived. One boy ate liver for breakfast every day, till he got tired of it and switched to something else. The media went wild, shouting that this proved that you should should let your kids eat whatever they wanted and it would be fine… ignoring the fact that the foods offered were all wholesome, healthful choices. So yes, they did well.
On to the 1950s, with the appearance of Dr. Spock and his gentler, more permissive, friendly advice. A convinced Freudian, he urged that forcing a reluctant child to eat something she did not like was cruel and could cause deep psychological damage. What were anxious parents (read: mothers) to do? The advice was pouring in from all sides, and if you didn’t make sure your child ate the right foods in the right way, you were a lousy parent and might be damaging your child irreparably.
Enter the sea change in food availability and marketing. With technological progress, most families had refrigerators and convenient stoves and ovens. Foods that had been limited to certain regions or seasons were now available year round and locally. Choices exploded in expanding grocery stores. Kids were towed along the aisles of A&P. And the marketers starting adding sugars, salt, preservatives, and cartoon characters on the labeling. “Mom! Buy me THAT cereal!” And a whole new wave of “kid foods” poured across the country.
And so, here we are. So many choices, many of them less than healthy. If a kid refused the veggies on the dinner table, he’d be offered snacks to tide him over till morning. If he didn’t like a particular food, it would vanish from the repertoire – he won! As one boy put it: “If I don’t like what Mom buys, she has to eat it herself.”
Veit concludes that the appropriate response to a picky child is to repeatedly offer a disliked food, to the extent of “popping it right into the child’s mouth” until the child “learns to like it.” She believes any kid can be taught to like pretty much anything: witness the huge variety of foods kids scarfed down and loved in the last century. She makes no mention at all of children with developmental disorders, such as autism. Her sources lean heavily on newspaper and magazine articles, historical documents, letters, cookbooks – and comparatively few actual medical studies, while she frequently mentions a lack of studies to support ideas that she criticizes. A cursory search of PubMed (“picky and (eating or eaters)” in article titles) produced nearly two hundred articles, delving into nutritional, health status, management, psychological and developmental aspects of the picky eater. It is not clear that Veit has examined this literature in as much depth as the problem warrants. In this day of scientific evidence being all too readily dismissed or challenged, her final advice in the epilogue is troubling. While there is much to admire in the detailed presentation of the effects of history, culture, society, and corporate and technological developments on the issue of food aversions and picky eating in today’s children, this book is not one that offers much in the way of recommendations to worried parents of those kids. Conversations with knowledgeable pediatricians, psychologists, and nutrition specialists would be an essential addition for those concerned parents.
I thank NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 8, 2025
I don’t have kids, but I have four nephews ages 8 to 20, and I’ve seen picky eating firsthand…..especially with the youngest. He’s pushed every boundary when it comes to food, which is what led me to Picky.
This book offers a surprising look at the history of children’s eating habits. It turns out kids used to enjoy all kinds of bold flavors, and picky eating wasn’t seen as normal. Picky explains how that changed and why.
What I liked most is that the book is thoughtful, not judgmental. It shows that picky eating isn’t just something we have to accept—it’s something we can influence. Even as an aunt, I found it helpful and eye-opening.
I’d recommend Picky to parents, teachers, and anyone who spends time with kids. It’s a smart, engaging read that gives real hope for raising curious eaters.
A huge thanks to NetGalley, the author & the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy! It was very enlightening!
This book offers a surprising look at the history of children’s eating habits. It turns out kids used to enjoy all kinds of bold flavors, and picky eating wasn’t seen as normal. Picky explains how that changed and why.
What I liked most is that the book is thoughtful, not judgmental. It shows that picky eating isn’t just something we have to accept—it’s something we can influence. Even as an aunt, I found it helpful and eye-opening.
I’d recommend Picky to parents, teachers, and anyone who spends time with kids. It’s a smart, engaging read that gives real hope for raising curious eaters.
A huge thanks to NetGalley, the author & the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy! It was very enlightening!
November 1, 2025
As I read this book, I considered does the research make sense and does it explain why I am a lifelong picky eater? The book is well researched and well sourced. It is thorough and accessible. It is not jargony or « too academic » and it is easy to follow. The conclusions made common sense and I appreciated the thoughtful analysis. I struggled when trying to see myself in the cultural context presented here. Primarily, except for the end, her view is from a population perspective, as in why is there a generation of picky eaters in the United States? From that perspective, it is very well done. Yet I still wonder why so many of my peers who were young children in the seventies have memories of the table as a battleground and how this dynamic contributed to pickiness? As a picky eater, I seriously dislike certain foods and have never « learned » to like them, as the author suggests is possible, seemingly in a universal way. I would suggest then that this is the flaw in her book. That is, trying to take this cultural perspective and apply it to individual child feeding practices for today’s parents. I’m still giving it four stars because I learned new things and it made me think. Thanks to the author, the publisher St Martin’s Press and #NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 19, 2026
I found the premise of Picky to be very intriguing but the execution landed at 3 stars for me. This was a very well researched book however it started to feel very repetitive after a while. Lots of restating of the fact that children used to "eat whatever their parents ate" and that recent generations of children have drifted far away from that. I believe the book would have been improved with more personal narrative inserted in to break up the factual information.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. Picky hits shelves on February 24, 2026.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. Picky hits shelves on February 24, 2026.
November 17, 2025
This was an exhaustive historical exploration of how children were weaned and expected to eat through time and what cultural shifts changed all that. It was all very intuitive and almost obvious, but to get the confirmation from this highly-sourced and researched book really helped drive home the point. I think all parents who are weaning or have young children should read this to remind ourselves how humans and families lived before we let capitalism and marketing take over. It was easy and had a logical flow, a great read.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC; these opinions are completely my own.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC; these opinions are completely my own.
May 8, 2026
I really enjoyed this book! I was expecting a simple history of highly processed foods taking over our food systems, and while that’s part of the story, there’s a lot more to it.
If you’re looking for a guide on how to address food pickiness this is not the book. Rather, the book is a historical account of the events that resulted in mass pickiness. Even though the author gives advice for addressing pickiness in the final chapter, I think the book makes clear that this is a systemic problem that will need systemic responses. The first step to responding, though, is understanding how we got here. And this book does accomplish that!
If you’re looking for a guide on how to address food pickiness this is not the book. Rather, the book is a historical account of the events that resulted in mass pickiness. Even though the author gives advice for addressing pickiness in the final chapter, I think the book makes clear that this is a systemic problem that will need systemic responses. The first step to responding, though, is understanding how we got here. And this book does accomplish that!
May 10, 2026
4.5 stars. This is about a niche history - childhood eating in America. I found it captivating. It is less a directive to modern parents about how to "cure" their picky eaters, though the epilogue does cover some of this information.
I do wish the book had addressed how parents might approach eating with autistic children and how picky children have now grown up to be picky adults who are now responsible for introducing their children to a wide variety of foods so they won't be picky children.
The author narrates the audiobook and does a fantastic job. I found this audiobook easy listening as I prepped my non-picky dinner.
I do wish the book had addressed how parents might approach eating with autistic children and how picky children have now grown up to be picky adults who are now responsible for introducing their children to a wide variety of foods so they won't be picky children.
The author narrates the audiobook and does a fantastic job. I found this audiobook easy listening as I prepped my non-picky dinner.
October 16, 2025
I got this ARC through NetGalley.
This was a really interesting look at what picky eating is, and where it originated a concept. I found the sections about what was considered a proper diet (no raw vegetables?) in the past to be really cool. Also, as a daily pot of coffee drinker, I was relieved to know that it probably won’t stunt my son’s growth if he gets his hands on some.
This was a really interesting look at what picky eating is, and where it originated a concept. I found the sections about what was considered a proper diet (no raw vegetables?) in the past to be really cool. Also, as a daily pot of coffee drinker, I was relieved to know that it probably won’t stunt my son’s growth if he gets his hands on some.
March 2, 2026
2.75/5
I read this book being a picky eater myself and knowing so many people who have picky eaters in their family.
The book is pretty much only a historical understanding of American food and eating habits for children from the 1850s to around the 1980s.
I was hoping I guess for more than just a history lesson. More on this later. Focusing on the historical and research for the book - it is extremely thorough. Only 47% of this book is the part written by Veit. The last half of the book is all the sources. Theres over 750 sources in the roughly 150 pages of content.
Let that sink in. Where are the theories and opinions of Veit? Completely missing other than a few intro and ending paragraphs. The only parts not sourced are repeated facts from the earlier chapters.
It’s like Veit didn’t think we read an earlier chapter and completely rehashes the same points over and over. It was a little comical because it would be a turn of a page and I’m reading another chapter but the same summary. I had to laugh through the exact same reiterations to make it through them.
And the sources? Overwhelming anecdotal. My personal opinion is the weakest of arguments. But the book relies heavily on hundreds of people reflecting on what they loved as a kid, mother’s viewpoints on cooking, even commercial ads and how people interpreted them.
It’s not that it’s not valid or even weak evidence but it just felt a little boring and lacks a strong voice from Veit to guide these sources into new a thought provoking insights from her.
I also found there to be this underlying tone maybe it was urgency but it rubbed me the wrong way. I appreciated the note not blaming parents exclusively but I also feel like the tone didn’t represent this attitude. Again maybe it’s because we don’t have a clear voice for Veit in places you’d want empathy we just get another source of data. It’s tonally cold and devoid of a clear voice that could take a softer approach especially to some of the sad concepts like how terrible these mothers must feel or any empathy at all for the obesity epidemic.
I also felt overwhelmed by all the sources I definitely did not click on all of them to see (my copy is a e-book that has a sources you can click on to see which is how I know how many pages were sources as they are all at the end) I am not use if the physical books have footnotes or not but 750 footnotes to read or even sources to flip to back and forth is just way too much. Even half the sources would have delivered the same effect. The key thing missing again is a strong viewpoint from Veit and without that the sources lose their punch. I mean realistically anyone could just reach the source material and it wouldn’t be much different then how the book is compiled.
And because it’s so dense it took me a long time to finish.
I was really shocked how the book pretty much cuts off at the early 90s. Theres some more modern stuff in there but there’s no mention of current day issues so applying any suggestions she made however short is hard to do.
Things not discussed - social media, the two income households / single parent households, the rise of neurodiversity especially Autism. The psychology fields that are for things like disordered eating in children including things like ARFID, and the more modern technology in kitchens.
I feel like missing those and I’m sure even more relevant topics really hurts the book because what drives us past what the underlying issues are? How do parents who already have kids ingrained in the social structure of food can really overcome it (is it really just denying meals and not having processed food and removing snacking all there can be as solutions?)
I was curious about cooking trends - do families still make different meal offerings for each member? How many parents rely on processed foods for dinner? Has new technology like air fryers, instapots, convection microwaves, dehydrators, freeze drying affect anything like the technology affected the 1950s and later? How does food scarcity today impact children and what does it even look like vs the past?
Overall I did learn new things which is always good and like I said the book is strongly researched. I just didn’t connect with it and feel like I can’t take what the book shared and apply it or even talk about with others as it is so hyper specific. I just don’t think parents will read this and it will be something that changes the problems we are faced with. And maybe it’s unfair to go in thinking this book will have tools and resources when it’s really just a history book. But then I’m not sure the target audience because if doesn’t seem like it was me.
That being said if you like American history or anecdotal commentary this is more a book for you. If you are a parent of picky eaters or planning to have kids and are worried I just don’t think this will offer a lot of help. There’s some insight we can glean from history but overwhelmingly the issues we face are bigger than one housefodk can remediate.
Thankful for a copy from NetGalley and St Martins Press for an advance copy.
I read this book being a picky eater myself and knowing so many people who have picky eaters in their family.
The book is pretty much only a historical understanding of American food and eating habits for children from the 1850s to around the 1980s.
I was hoping I guess for more than just a history lesson. More on this later. Focusing on the historical and research for the book - it is extremely thorough. Only 47% of this book is the part written by Veit. The last half of the book is all the sources. Theres over 750 sources in the roughly 150 pages of content.
Let that sink in. Where are the theories and opinions of Veit? Completely missing other than a few intro and ending paragraphs. The only parts not sourced are repeated facts from the earlier chapters.
It’s like Veit didn’t think we read an earlier chapter and completely rehashes the same points over and over. It was a little comical because it would be a turn of a page and I’m reading another chapter but the same summary. I had to laugh through the exact same reiterations to make it through them.
And the sources? Overwhelming anecdotal. My personal opinion is the weakest of arguments. But the book relies heavily on hundreds of people reflecting on what they loved as a kid, mother’s viewpoints on cooking, even commercial ads and how people interpreted them.
It’s not that it’s not valid or even weak evidence but it just felt a little boring and lacks a strong voice from Veit to guide these sources into new a thought provoking insights from her.
I also found there to be this underlying tone maybe it was urgency but it rubbed me the wrong way. I appreciated the note not blaming parents exclusively but I also feel like the tone didn’t represent this attitude. Again maybe it’s because we don’t have a clear voice for Veit in places you’d want empathy we just get another source of data. It’s tonally cold and devoid of a clear voice that could take a softer approach especially to some of the sad concepts like how terrible these mothers must feel or any empathy at all for the obesity epidemic.
I also felt overwhelmed by all the sources I definitely did not click on all of them to see (my copy is a e-book that has a sources you can click on to see which is how I know how many pages were sources as they are all at the end) I am not use if the physical books have footnotes or not but 750 footnotes to read or even sources to flip to back and forth is just way too much. Even half the sources would have delivered the same effect. The key thing missing again is a strong viewpoint from Veit and without that the sources lose their punch. I mean realistically anyone could just reach the source material and it wouldn’t be much different then how the book is compiled.
And because it’s so dense it took me a long time to finish.
I was really shocked how the book pretty much cuts off at the early 90s. Theres some more modern stuff in there but there’s no mention of current day issues so applying any suggestions she made however short is hard to do.
Things not discussed - social media, the two income households / single parent households, the rise of neurodiversity especially Autism. The psychology fields that are for things like disordered eating in children including things like ARFID, and the more modern technology in kitchens.
I feel like missing those and I’m sure even more relevant topics really hurts the book because what drives us past what the underlying issues are? How do parents who already have kids ingrained in the social structure of food can really overcome it (is it really just denying meals and not having processed food and removing snacking all there can be as solutions?)
I was curious about cooking trends - do families still make different meal offerings for each member? How many parents rely on processed foods for dinner? Has new technology like air fryers, instapots, convection microwaves, dehydrators, freeze drying affect anything like the technology affected the 1950s and later? How does food scarcity today impact children and what does it even look like vs the past?
Overall I did learn new things which is always good and like I said the book is strongly researched. I just didn’t connect with it and feel like I can’t take what the book shared and apply it or even talk about with others as it is so hyper specific. I just don’t think parents will read this and it will be something that changes the problems we are faced with. And maybe it’s unfair to go in thinking this book will have tools and resources when it’s really just a history book. But then I’m not sure the target audience because if doesn’t seem like it was me.
That being said if you like American history or anecdotal commentary this is more a book for you. If you are a parent of picky eaters or planning to have kids and are worried I just don’t think this will offer a lot of help. There’s some insight we can glean from history but overwhelmingly the issues we face are bigger than one housefodk can remediate.
Thankful for a copy from NetGalley and St Martins Press for an advance copy.
April 29, 2026
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher
Food and science/medicine historian Helen Veit is back with intriguing information about cuisine and culture. This time, she tackles “picky” eating and the rise of the “children’s menu”. Veit uses an array of rich, historical materials (including articles from 19th century newspapers and books) to support the notion that picky eating is not natural and that it became a societal phenomenon during the second half of the 20th century.
The first part of the book delves into the lives of children in the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries and what they ate. Children from assorted backgrounds describe their favorite meals and treats, many we could not imagine children enjoying today. Their delicacies ranged from snails, bean soups, and brined vegetables to full glasses of buttermilk. The interviewee’s descriptions are so passionate, the reader might find their mouth water.
Taking readers into the 20th century, Veit notes how an abundance of poor advice from psychologists, some based on little to no evidence of their findings, changed how the growing middle class purchased and consumed food. The idea that children should dictate mealtime surfaced. Cartoons on cereal boxes full of prizes and TV advertisements, cleverly directed towards children, nod to this concept. Pairing addictive TV jingles with the explosion of mass-produced food (teeming with sugar and preservatives of dubious quality) and increased snacking between meals has severely narrowed children’s palettes. Veit also shares research that reveals how pickiness possibly correlates to the escalating obesity rate in the United States, something unimaginable 100 years ago. Veit brilliantly argues that what we have learned about pickiness is mainly a myth and that children can learn how to eat like adults, as they have for several millennia.
Veit concludes the book with suggestions for parents to consider during mealtimes. Tips include reducing unnecessary snacking, limiting exposure to food advertising, discussing nutrition with children, and not giving up! Just because a child might not like an ingredient in one dish does not mean they will reject it in another dish. Veit stresses that this countercultural outlook is not cruel and ultimately reduces waste while increasing satisfaction during mealtime.
Veit brilliantly ties archival findings with modern data to provide information we need more than ever. Parents looking to expand their children’s tastes and those concerned about current food quality will find great insight.
Food and science/medicine historian Helen Veit is back with intriguing information about cuisine and culture. This time, she tackles “picky” eating and the rise of the “children’s menu”. Veit uses an array of rich, historical materials (including articles from 19th century newspapers and books) to support the notion that picky eating is not natural and that it became a societal phenomenon during the second half of the 20th century.
The first part of the book delves into the lives of children in the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries and what they ate. Children from assorted backgrounds describe their favorite meals and treats, many we could not imagine children enjoying today. Their delicacies ranged from snails, bean soups, and brined vegetables to full glasses of buttermilk. The interviewee’s descriptions are so passionate, the reader might find their mouth water.
Taking readers into the 20th century, Veit notes how an abundance of poor advice from psychologists, some based on little to no evidence of their findings, changed how the growing middle class purchased and consumed food. The idea that children should dictate mealtime surfaced. Cartoons on cereal boxes full of prizes and TV advertisements, cleverly directed towards children, nod to this concept. Pairing addictive TV jingles with the explosion of mass-produced food (teeming with sugar and preservatives of dubious quality) and increased snacking between meals has severely narrowed children’s palettes. Veit also shares research that reveals how pickiness possibly correlates to the escalating obesity rate in the United States, something unimaginable 100 years ago. Veit brilliantly argues that what we have learned about pickiness is mainly a myth and that children can learn how to eat like adults, as they have for several millennia.
Veit concludes the book with suggestions for parents to consider during mealtimes. Tips include reducing unnecessary snacking, limiting exposure to food advertising, discussing nutrition with children, and not giving up! Just because a child might not like an ingredient in one dish does not mean they will reject it in another dish. Veit stresses that this countercultural outlook is not cruel and ultimately reduces waste while increasing satisfaction during mealtime.
Veit brilliantly ties archival findings with modern data to provide information we need more than ever. Parents looking to expand their children’s tastes and those concerned about current food quality will find great insight.
Read
January 31, 2026I may have misinterpreted the blurb from this book so while I did learn a lot from this, it was definitely more research and history forward than practical applications regarding picky kids which is what I was hoping for.
The amount of research this author did is clear, but at times this definitely read like a research paper or scholarly article because of the constant quotes/references from works the author researched. I don’t mind some history and it think that gives a good base for any topic but I would have loved a larger section at the end with practical advice for how to avoid a picky eater in current time, not just explaining how we got to this point. I feel like a lot of things that currently effect diets for Americans (ie. the obstacles to healthier and more diverse diets) could have been discussed more in depth over the history lesson, but again that could have been because I went into this expecting something more along those lines.
The amount of research this author did is clear, but at times this definitely read like a research paper or scholarly article because of the constant quotes/references from works the author researched. I don’t mind some history and it think that gives a good base for any topic but I would have loved a larger section at the end with practical advice for how to avoid a picky eater in current time, not just explaining how we got to this point. I feel like a lot of things that currently effect diets for Americans (ie. the obstacles to healthier and more diverse diets) could have been discussed more in depth over the history lesson, but again that could have been because I went into this expecting something more along those lines.
March 25, 2026
One day, I put it down and then I never picked it up again. I’ve seen a couple other reviews mentioned that it’s an “exhaustive history of…” I guess exhaustive is the right word.
I think several chapters could’ve been summed up with “kids ate everything“.
As mum to one severely autistic child – who actually eats really well, and one ‘typical’ child, who is a super picky eater, I suppose I was looking for some insight. And maybe there is some in the book, but I just could not get past the, well, ‘exhaustive’ list of foods.
I think several chapters could’ve been summed up with “kids ate everything“.
As mum to one severely autistic child – who actually eats really well, and one ‘typical’ child, who is a super picky eater, I suppose I was looking for some insight. And maybe there is some in the book, but I just could not get past the, well, ‘exhaustive’ list of foods.
April 16, 2026
This was very interesting! The history of American children’s eating habits and how we culturally shifted to individualized children’s meals and menus was fascinating (and also infuriating because of course, capitalism). The level of detail of the author’s research was impressive, though at times a bit excessive. I’d recommend to those who don’t mind when almost half the book is the author’s works cited, but probably not for parents who are sleep deprived and just want their kids to eat a green bean before they pull their hair out.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!
March 2, 2026
2.75 stars. I love reading books about food, and I love reading books about raising children-so this seemed right up my alley. But it was very exhaustive. Lots of research that I started skimming. Interesting nuggets and takeaways though-feed children what adults eat, they don't need bland or non spicy foods. We made kids picky with our short order cooking and highly processed foods.
April 16, 2026
Fantastically written, deeply researched, engaging, and relevant. Such an eye-opening read for someone watching a new child learn to eat. Pickiness is made up, people!!! Don’t fall for the trap!!
November 6, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Helen Zoe Veit for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was such an informative and helpful read! A decent amount of the information was familiar to me, but it still gave me a lot to think about—especially around our family’s mealtime habits. I’ll admit, I usually feed my kids separate dinners most nights instead of offering them what we’re eating. Part of that is just a matter of timing—planning to cook early enough so they can eat too—but for the meals I know they’ll eat, we do make it work earlier… which means, really, we could probably do that for every meal.
My 3-year-old can be picky, but this book had me asking how much of that might be because I’m not consistently putting our meals in front of her. It really made me reflect on our routines and how small changes could make a big difference.
This was such an informative and helpful read! A decent amount of the information was familiar to me, but it still gave me a lot to think about—especially around our family’s mealtime habits. I’ll admit, I usually feed my kids separate dinners most nights instead of offering them what we’re eating. Part of that is just a matter of timing—planning to cook early enough so they can eat too—but for the meals I know they’ll eat, we do make it work earlier… which means, really, we could probably do that for every meal.
My 3-year-old can be picky, but this book had me asking how much of that might be because I’m not consistently putting our meals in front of her. It really made me reflect on our routines and how small changes could make a big difference.
December 1, 2025
Picky is an impressively researched cultural history of children’s eating habits in the United States, but as a reading experience it feels more like homework than the engaging narrative food history it could have been. The premise is fantastic: children were once expected to eat what adults ate, bold flavors, bitter greens, coffee, pickles, and picky eating as a defining childhood trait is a relatively modern, culturally constructed phenomenon. On that level, the book absolutely delivers, marshaling an enormous amount of historical material, archival sources, and period commentary to show how advice literature, changing medical ideas, food marketing, and postwar parenting philosophies converged to create today’s “kid food” culture.
Where it falters is in narrative voice and readability. Readers expecting something with the storytelling verve of Mark Kurlansky’s Cod will likely be disappointed; this reads much more like a dissertation on historical culinary norms than a lively work of narrative nonfiction. Chapter after chapter piles on examples, expert opinions, and shifts in doctrine over time, but the prose rarely invites you in or builds momentum. The result is a book that feels dense and overlong, especially given that a substantial portion is devoted to notes and bibliography.
Picky persuasively reframes pickiness as a cultural outcome rather than a biological inevitability, and it offers a sobering look at how expert advice, corporate marketing, and shifting ideas about childhood helped get us here. For historians, food-studies enthusiasts, and readers who enjoy heavily sourced, thesis-driven nonfiction, this may be a rewarding, if somewhat flavorless, feast. For those hoping for an accessible, story-rich romp through food history, or a practical playbook for feeding real children today, it is more like a plate of overcooked, unseasoned brussel sprouts: undeniably nutritious, but there are better options available. Personally, I’d wait for Gastropod to do a podcast episode about this!
Where it falters is in narrative voice and readability. Readers expecting something with the storytelling verve of Mark Kurlansky’s Cod will likely be disappointed; this reads much more like a dissertation on historical culinary norms than a lively work of narrative nonfiction. Chapter after chapter piles on examples, expert opinions, and shifts in doctrine over time, but the prose rarely invites you in or builds momentum. The result is a book that feels dense and overlong, especially given that a substantial portion is devoted to notes and bibliography.
Picky persuasively reframes pickiness as a cultural outcome rather than a biological inevitability, and it offers a sobering look at how expert advice, corporate marketing, and shifting ideas about childhood helped get us here. For historians, food-studies enthusiasts, and readers who enjoy heavily sourced, thesis-driven nonfiction, this may be a rewarding, if somewhat flavorless, feast. For those hoping for an accessible, story-rich romp through food history, or a practical playbook for feeding real children today, it is more like a plate of overcooked, unseasoned brussel sprouts: undeniably nutritious, but there are better options available. Personally, I’d wait for Gastropod to do a podcast episode about this!
January 16, 2026
Honestly, it was fine. Heads up that this reads a lot more like a dissertation or thesis (granted, a very good one) than a book to easily glean tips from.
I was disappointed that we didn't get actionable advice throughout the book about how to counter pickiness in our kids today until the literal epilogue. And even then, it was BRIEF.
As a parent currently introducing solids to her 6 month old, I have to say I was disappointed. If you're interested in the straight up history of picky eating overtime, this is a great and very well researched read. If you, like me, were looking for more general background info on how we got to pickiness culture and then an emphasis on what we can do to correct it in our kids today, I would have to recommend skipping this one.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for access to this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
I was disappointed that we didn't get actionable advice throughout the book about how to counter pickiness in our kids today until the literal epilogue. And even then, it was BRIEF.
As a parent currently introducing solids to her 6 month old, I have to say I was disappointed. If you're interested in the straight up history of picky eating overtime, this is a great and very well researched read. If you, like me, were looking for more general background info on how we got to pickiness culture and then an emphasis on what we can do to correct it in our kids today, I would have to recommend skipping this one.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for access to this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
February 24, 2026
Rating: 4.5* of five
The Publisher Says: An eye-opening investigation into why American kids no longer eat broadly and with gusto
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 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 that parents used in the past to raise happy, healthy, wildly un-picky kids today.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: I wasn't a picky eater because I was raised by parents who loved food. I'm so grateful to them for the lesson they each taught: "try it, if you don't like it you don't have to finish it."
I'm also old. This message was more common among the Depression-era denizens who raised me than postwar-boom kids who raised the picky eaters we're discussing in this book.
As "experts" got hold of the conversation around food (author's scare quotes), the wheels came off. We know from decades of research findings being reported and then challenged, the "experts" (remember, not my scare quotes!) have been tarred by the backlash that keeps growing against expertise in general. It feels kind of justified to me, in this case, because there are no real reasons that the advice the "experts" gave should have been heeded as none of them made any sense at all. But, well, expertise needs to be respected. It's the world now that does NOT respect expertise that's in terrible trouble.
Author Veit has researched the question "is a generation of US-born kids pickier in their food choices than earlier generations?" and presented findings and posited reasons for the findings. It is a fascinating topic. The sources are broad-based and wide-ranging; cited in line which I appreciate; and to the extent I randomly sampled credible. What they aren't, and what the book itself isn't, is prescriptive. Nowhere in the text is there a solution to a problem identified. It was not promised, it was not suggested in the research sources to be intended; I bring it up because I don't want to give the impression there is anywhere anything about addressing the behavior being studied.
I get the impression that the title led previous readers down that garden path. Don't be one of them! I'm interested in the subject of picky eating because it seems so absurd to allow it. I was glad to read Author Veit's study because I feel much less...superior...about the realities of the issue. I think there's a lot of value in this lens on our present social moment's roots and results. I felt there was genuine curiosity, a real "I need to know" on the author's part, and I resonated with that feeling. It gave me a four-star reading experience. I was impressed with her reasearch, her cogitations on the research, and convinced by her conclusions based on them. I was perhaps less drawn in than I might have been by the shifts I felt between the presentation of her digests of research and the chattier tone of her presentation of her conclusions drawn from it...this was more like feeling some charming cocktail-party acquaintance was suddenly taking me into the lecture hall.
Entirely irrelevant to the value I received from the read. It was a factor that impacted me on a reading-pleasure level alone. You might feel entirely differently. I hope you will get the book to find out for yourself.
The Publisher Says: An eye-opening investigation into why American kids no longer eat broadly and with gusto
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 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 that parents used in the past to raise happy, healthy, wildly un-picky kids today.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: I wasn't a picky eater because I was raised by parents who loved food. I'm so grateful to them for the lesson they each taught: "try it, if you don't like it you don't have to finish it."
I'm also old. This message was more common among the Depression-era denizens who raised me than postwar-boom kids who raised the picky eaters we're discussing in this book.
As "experts" got hold of the conversation around food (author's scare quotes), the wheels came off. We know from decades of research findings being reported and then challenged, the "experts" (remember, not my scare quotes!) have been tarred by the backlash that keeps growing against expertise in general. It feels kind of justified to me, in this case, because there are no real reasons that the advice the "experts" gave should have been heeded as none of them made any sense at all. But, well, expertise needs to be respected. It's the world now that does NOT respect expertise that's in terrible trouble.
Author Veit has researched the question "is a generation of US-born kids pickier in their food choices than earlier generations?" and presented findings and posited reasons for the findings. It is a fascinating topic. The sources are broad-based and wide-ranging; cited in line which I appreciate; and to the extent I randomly sampled credible. What they aren't, and what the book itself isn't, is prescriptive. Nowhere in the text is there a solution to a problem identified. It was not promised, it was not suggested in the research sources to be intended; I bring it up because I don't want to give the impression there is anywhere anything about addressing the behavior being studied.
I get the impression that the title led previous readers down that garden path. Don't be one of them! I'm interested in the subject of picky eating because it seems so absurd to allow it. I was glad to read Author Veit's study because I feel much less...superior...about the realities of the issue. I think there's a lot of value in this lens on our present social moment's roots and results. I felt there was genuine curiosity, a real "I need to know" on the author's part, and I resonated with that feeling. It gave me a four-star reading experience. I was impressed with her reasearch, her cogitations on the research, and convinced by her conclusions based on them. I was perhaps less drawn in than I might have been by the shifts I felt between the presentation of her digests of research and the chattier tone of her presentation of her conclusions drawn from it...this was more like feeling some charming cocktail-party acquaintance was suddenly taking me into the lecture hall.
Entirely irrelevant to the value I received from the read. It was a factor that impacted me on a reading-pleasure level alone. You might feel entirely differently. I hope you will get the book to find out for yourself.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Picky is an apt title for explaining how and why American children became such fussy eaters. How did we get from the family sitting around the table where everyone would eat the same thing with gusto to special children’s menus and very restrictive diets? I wanted to read this book because my son, who is now grown, was one of those fussy eaters for whom I would make special food at dinner. He only ate three things as a child. Now he is way more adventurous than I am, has traveled to many countries, and will eat almost anything.
The book is an exhaustive history that explains that it is a myth to assume that children are naturally picky eaters and have inferior taste buds. Veit also explains the dangerous impact that ultra-processed foods and marketing, particularly to children, of these foods has had on children in terms of health and weight. It was fascinating to learn how things not based in fact became gospel, such as the fact that drinking coffee as a child could stunt your growth, which I often heard growing up. As the author explains, some children were not growing; however, it was due to poverty, not caffeine.
While the book is well-written and easy to read, it is repetitive and reads like a research paper with a footnote at the end of nearly every sentence, resulting in an exhaustive list of notes at the end comprising over 100 pages. The facts of what children used to eat is interesting, but it was not necessary to include so many stories when just a few examples would have sufficed to make the point.
My biggest concern is with some of the advice the author gives in the Epilogue. She specifically tells parents to ignore advice to not salt toddlers’ food. That could potentially be dangerous advice as people develop a taste for salt which could result in later life in high blood pressure and lead to other serious health issues. Some salt in our diet is necessary, but it is a fact that most Americans consume too much salt. She also makes the point that ideally children should be eating the same food as their parents are eating. That statement assumes that people are eating freshly prepared food at home. Unfortunately, many people eat highly salted over processed foods from restaurants or the grocery store. She also explains that teaching children to enjoy the same food as their parents will not only save time through eliminating the need to make alternative meals and shop just for the children but also reduce waste. The author is clearly talking to a specific subset of the population who can afford fresh foods, have the time to prepare them each night, and live in an area that is not a food desert. According to a recent USDA report, 47.9 million Americans lived in food insecure households in 2025. That figure is likely much higher. So, before we worry about how to make sure the children in America are eating what their parents are, we need to fix the systemic underlying problems and worry whether they even have food to eat at all.
I’d recommend this book to people who like or want to understand the history of food. There was some interesting information, particularly about Dr. Spock and how he became the baby guru, and the study another doctor performed on children’s eating habits and choices. However, it is not very forward-looking and does not seem to consider the differences in the population including income level, culture, and geographic location, and that some children, especially those who are neurodivergent, have an aversion to food with certain textures. It is not as easy as Veit makes out to continue to offer a child a food they dislike, even going so far as to force-feed the child by putting the food directly into his or her mouth, until they learn to like it.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
The book is an exhaustive history that explains that it is a myth to assume that children are naturally picky eaters and have inferior taste buds. Veit also explains the dangerous impact that ultra-processed foods and marketing, particularly to children, of these foods has had on children in terms of health and weight. It was fascinating to learn how things not based in fact became gospel, such as the fact that drinking coffee as a child could stunt your growth, which I often heard growing up. As the author explains, some children were not growing; however, it was due to poverty, not caffeine.
While the book is well-written and easy to read, it is repetitive and reads like a research paper with a footnote at the end of nearly every sentence, resulting in an exhaustive list of notes at the end comprising over 100 pages. The facts of what children used to eat is interesting, but it was not necessary to include so many stories when just a few examples would have sufficed to make the point.
My biggest concern is with some of the advice the author gives in the Epilogue. She specifically tells parents to ignore advice to not salt toddlers’ food. That could potentially be dangerous advice as people develop a taste for salt which could result in later life in high blood pressure and lead to other serious health issues. Some salt in our diet is necessary, but it is a fact that most Americans consume too much salt. She also makes the point that ideally children should be eating the same food as their parents are eating. That statement assumes that people are eating freshly prepared food at home. Unfortunately, many people eat highly salted over processed foods from restaurants or the grocery store. She also explains that teaching children to enjoy the same food as their parents will not only save time through eliminating the need to make alternative meals and shop just for the children but also reduce waste. The author is clearly talking to a specific subset of the population who can afford fresh foods, have the time to prepare them each night, and live in an area that is not a food desert. According to a recent USDA report, 47.9 million Americans lived in food insecure households in 2025. That figure is likely much higher. So, before we worry about how to make sure the children in America are eating what their parents are, we need to fix the systemic underlying problems and worry whether they even have food to eat at all.
I’d recommend this book to people who like or want to understand the history of food. There was some interesting information, particularly about Dr. Spock and how he became the baby guru, and the study another doctor performed on children’s eating habits and choices. However, it is not very forward-looking and does not seem to consider the differences in the population including income level, culture, and geographic location, and that some children, especially those who are neurodivergent, have an aversion to food with certain textures. It is not as easy as Veit makes out to continue to offer a child a food they dislike, even going so far as to force-feed the child by putting the food directly into his or her mouth, until they learn to like it.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I received a copy of this book for free in a Goodreads giveaway.
I don't have kids and plan to never have any, but I was still curious about why American children are considered "the fussiest eaters in history" and entered this giveaway. And I certainly learned a lot from this very well-researched book that goes into detail about the history of children's food in the United States. It gets quite repetitive at times, though, and I found the epilogue containing advice on how to raise children to be non-picky eaters to be a bit radical and jarring.
The book goes into a lot of history about children's eating habits in the United States, starting in the nineteenth century, when kids used to basically just eat what adults did, and they were much more adventurous in their eating habits. The author discusses an impressive variety of factors that have led to today's children's eating habits, including the rise of milk and refrigeration, influential child-rearing advice from Dr. Spock and other so-called "experts," food advertising aimed at children, convenience foods that have led to an increase in snacking and a decrease in hunger at mealtime, and so many others. I learned quite a few interesting facts, like how the myth that caffeine stunts children's growth came from coffee consumption among kids being associated with less wealthy families, where kids were also less nourished than in wealthier families, or how people used to fear raw fruit in the past. The book introduces a lot of interesting facts about children's eating in American history, and it presents convincing reasons about how children's eating habits have changed to where they are today through a complex combination of psychology, marketing, and technology.
The book does get quite repetitive at times, however. The author presents example after example, and often even presents additional examples in the copious endnotes. There were times where I just wished that the book would move onto the next topic instead of presenting even more examples of the same thing. There was certainly a lot of research that went into this book, and it shows, but it would have helped to edit it down a bit so that it wasn't quite so overwhelming in driving the same point home over and over.
The epilogue also felt a bit jarring to me, as the author suggests things like repeatedly encouraging a child to eat a certain food, going as far as putting some of it in the child's mouth, until they learn to enjoy it. The author mentions earlier in the book that even in the nineteenth century, when children were much less picky about what they ate, there were still some foods that children and adults did not enjoy. Yet the author makes it seem like getting a child to enjoy a certain food is an inevitability in the jarring advice she gives in the epilogue. Other pieces of advice in the epilogue, like limiting kids' exposure to processed foods and food advertising or not letting them snack too much, seem much more reasonable, but it seemed quite unreasonable to expect that every child can grow to like every food their parents want them to.
This is certainly a very well-researched and often interesting book about the history and evolution of children's eating habits in the United States. It's a bit repetitive in the large numbers of examples given for many things, though, and some of the advice given in the epilogue seems a bit extreme, as if the author just wants things to go back to the way they were in the nineteenth century.
I don't have kids and plan to never have any, but I was still curious about why American children are considered "the fussiest eaters in history" and entered this giveaway. And I certainly learned a lot from this very well-researched book that goes into detail about the history of children's food in the United States. It gets quite repetitive at times, though, and I found the epilogue containing advice on how to raise children to be non-picky eaters to be a bit radical and jarring.
The book goes into a lot of history about children's eating habits in the United States, starting in the nineteenth century, when kids used to basically just eat what adults did, and they were much more adventurous in their eating habits. The author discusses an impressive variety of factors that have led to today's children's eating habits, including the rise of milk and refrigeration, influential child-rearing advice from Dr. Spock and other so-called "experts," food advertising aimed at children, convenience foods that have led to an increase in snacking and a decrease in hunger at mealtime, and so many others. I learned quite a few interesting facts, like how the myth that caffeine stunts children's growth came from coffee consumption among kids being associated with less wealthy families, where kids were also less nourished than in wealthier families, or how people used to fear raw fruit in the past. The book introduces a lot of interesting facts about children's eating in American history, and it presents convincing reasons about how children's eating habits have changed to where they are today through a complex combination of psychology, marketing, and technology.
The book does get quite repetitive at times, however. The author presents example after example, and often even presents additional examples in the copious endnotes. There were times where I just wished that the book would move onto the next topic instead of presenting even more examples of the same thing. There was certainly a lot of research that went into this book, and it shows, but it would have helped to edit it down a bit so that it wasn't quite so overwhelming in driving the same point home over and over.
The epilogue also felt a bit jarring to me, as the author suggests things like repeatedly encouraging a child to eat a certain food, going as far as putting some of it in the child's mouth, until they learn to enjoy it. The author mentions earlier in the book that even in the nineteenth century, when children were much less picky about what they ate, there were still some foods that children and adults did not enjoy. Yet the author makes it seem like getting a child to enjoy a certain food is an inevitability in the jarring advice she gives in the epilogue. Other pieces of advice in the epilogue, like limiting kids' exposure to processed foods and food advertising or not letting them snack too much, seem much more reasonable, but it seemed quite unreasonable to expect that every child can grow to like every food their parents want them to.
This is certainly a very well-researched and often interesting book about the history and evolution of children's eating habits in the United States. It's a bit repetitive in the large numbers of examples given for many things, though, and some of the advice given in the epilogue seems a bit extreme, as if the author just wants things to go back to the way they were in the nineteenth century.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Note: I received an Advance Reader Copy of Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History by Helen Zoe Veit in exchange for an honest review.
This book provided me with an incredibly enjoyable and fascinating romp through US history.
It’s wonderful when books build on knowledge we already have, and I thought the author did an amazing job of referencing back to common knowledge or myths or understandings (whether correct or incorrect). In that way, the new information felt incredibly relevant and easily accessible: something noteworthy for a book that centers history.
Something I particularly loved about this book was how much new information I learned from reading it! I already had a decent background in the history of parenting and food, and the author’s accessible writing style meant that I was able to easily make connections between what I knew already and the new information.
I appreciated the mostly-chronological telling of the big picture of pickiness. The historical cycles of stern parenting and relaxed parenting; controlling parenting and permissive parenting, plus the alleged experts’ reactions to these cycles, were clearly outlined.
Each type of parenting seemed to feed (ha!) directly into other social aspects of their respective time period in ways that only served to increase children’s pickiness and fuel parents’ anxiety over their children’s distressing lack of interest in eating.
Before reading this book I did suspect that the rise of processed foods played a large role in the rise in pickiness, but I had not previously realized how intense and pervasive the advertising directed at children used to be.
I kept thinking of that scene in A Christmas Story (spoiler) where Ralphie is eagerly decoding a secret message from Little Orphan Annie’s radio show. He’s frantic with excitement because he’s been waiting weeks for this decoder ring to arrive in his mailbox and then when he finally finishes decoding the message it reads: “Be sure to drink your Ovaltine!”
*It was all just an advertisement after all. How disappointing.*
Most of all though, I love how reading the ARC of this book gave me the confidence to reassure a close friend of mine that it’s not her fault that her kids are picky! Kids’ pickiness is not simply their parents’ fault because it’s actually a whole systemic issue with the weight of history behind it.
Having picky kids is not an individual failing, it’s an enduring legacy.
And only by learning about the history of that legacy, learning how we arrived at this place in time when children are expected to refuse to eat green vegetables and demand chicken nuggets at every meal, can we ever hope to break those patterns and move forward in a healthier and more balanced way. Otherwise, it appears we will just continue harmfully reacting to the myths and behaviors handed down to us, built upon previous generations’ mistakes.
Which is why I think that any parent who’s ever worried about how much their child is eating or about what their child is eating would benefit from reading this book!
Excellently presented, thoroughly referenced, easily accessible: this was a nonfiction book that I hated having to put down.
Trigger warning: if you have food issues from your childhood, read with caution, but also read to learn more about why you have those food issues. Some of the older parenting methods mentioned in the book are considered abusive now, so read cautiously for that as well.
Thank you for reading!
This book provided me with an incredibly enjoyable and fascinating romp through US history.
It’s wonderful when books build on knowledge we already have, and I thought the author did an amazing job of referencing back to common knowledge or myths or understandings (whether correct or incorrect). In that way, the new information felt incredibly relevant and easily accessible: something noteworthy for a book that centers history.
Something I particularly loved about this book was how much new information I learned from reading it! I already had a decent background in the history of parenting and food, and the author’s accessible writing style meant that I was able to easily make connections between what I knew already and the new information.
I appreciated the mostly-chronological telling of the big picture of pickiness. The historical cycles of stern parenting and relaxed parenting; controlling parenting and permissive parenting, plus the alleged experts’ reactions to these cycles, were clearly outlined.
Each type of parenting seemed to feed (ha!) directly into other social aspects of their respective time period in ways that only served to increase children’s pickiness and fuel parents’ anxiety over their children’s distressing lack of interest in eating.
Before reading this book I did suspect that the rise of processed foods played a large role in the rise in pickiness, but I had not previously realized how intense and pervasive the advertising directed at children used to be.
I kept thinking of that scene in A Christmas Story (spoiler) where Ralphie is eagerly decoding a secret message from Little Orphan Annie’s radio show. He’s frantic with excitement because he’s been waiting weeks for this decoder ring to arrive in his mailbox and then when he finally finishes decoding the message it reads: “Be sure to drink your Ovaltine!”
*It was all just an advertisement after all. How disappointing.*
Most of all though, I love how reading the ARC of this book gave me the confidence to reassure a close friend of mine that it’s not her fault that her kids are picky! Kids’ pickiness is not simply their parents’ fault because it’s actually a whole systemic issue with the weight of history behind it.
Having picky kids is not an individual failing, it’s an enduring legacy.
And only by learning about the history of that legacy, learning how we arrived at this place in time when children are expected to refuse to eat green vegetables and demand chicken nuggets at every meal, can we ever hope to break those patterns and move forward in a healthier and more balanced way. Otherwise, it appears we will just continue harmfully reacting to the myths and behaviors handed down to us, built upon previous generations’ mistakes.
Which is why I think that any parent who’s ever worried about how much their child is eating or about what their child is eating would benefit from reading this book!
Excellently presented, thoroughly referenced, easily accessible: this was a nonfiction book that I hated having to put down.
Trigger warning: if you have food issues from your childhood, read with caution, but also read to learn more about why you have those food issues. Some of the older parenting methods mentioned in the book are considered abusive now, so read cautiously for that as well.
Thank you for reading!
April 26, 2026
Full review at: https://readingourshelves.wordpress.c...
We probably already have some ideas in our heads about why kids weren’t as picky in earlier centuries, and some of them would be correct: working in the fields or having to walk everywhere made them hungrier to start with. Lack of refrigeration meant that they didn’t have the option to just pick a different food from what the rest of the family was eating. These things are major.
But it is crazy to think that kids used to love veggies, liver, and all sorts of pickled things. Ideas about feeding kids shifted twice in the early 20th century, and that’s where the real problems begin.
First came the idea that kids have a more delicate digestive system, and they needed soft/bland foods to not get upset stomachs. This began in the late 1800s and was popularized over the next few decades. If your kids only eat bread and pasta… this is where that fad started.
Then, in the 1930s, a few people actually started studying what kids ate. Clara Davis was one such person, who gave kids in her care as many as ten different options for each meal, and let them pick for themselves. She discovered that, over time, they eventually picked a pretty balanced diet, and all of them maintained good health. Therefore, she thought parents could stress less about counting bites and only offering certain foods.
The issues really started with how her work was interpreted afterward. Authors like Dr. Spock told parents that their fussing over what their kids ate was causing the children psychological damage – although there was no evidence of this – and that they should let their kids eat whatever the kids wanted! This was sort of in line with the Davis study… except, everything Davis had offered in the study was basically healthy to begin with.
As Spock’s popularity rose, so did home appliances that made cooking easier. So did mega grocery stores, with more options on hand. More pre-packaged foods, more additives, preservatives, coloring, etc. Now, parents had more variety on hand to give the child a different meal than the parents… but also, the food itself was not as healthy for any of them. Even Dr. Spock realized this, and regretted his earlier advice, but it was too late.
Is it too late to reverse the trend now? Obviously not, but it would take work. One suggestion that might be hard is to let your kids get hungry between meals by cutting back on snacking and grazing. Letting your kid go to bed hungry seems tantamount to child abuse these days, but maybe only offer so many options at dinner time, and make all of them healthy-ish. The number of choices doesn’t have to be limitless, and doesn’t have to be dictated by the kids. Easier said than done, I know, but maybe they’d come around eventually?
We probably already have some ideas in our heads about why kids weren’t as picky in earlier centuries, and some of them would be correct: working in the fields or having to walk everywhere made them hungrier to start with. Lack of refrigeration meant that they didn’t have the option to just pick a different food from what the rest of the family was eating. These things are major.
But it is crazy to think that kids used to love veggies, liver, and all sorts of pickled things. Ideas about feeding kids shifted twice in the early 20th century, and that’s where the real problems begin.
First came the idea that kids have a more delicate digestive system, and they needed soft/bland foods to not get upset stomachs. This began in the late 1800s and was popularized over the next few decades. If your kids only eat bread and pasta… this is where that fad started.
Then, in the 1930s, a few people actually started studying what kids ate. Clara Davis was one such person, who gave kids in her care as many as ten different options for each meal, and let them pick for themselves. She discovered that, over time, they eventually picked a pretty balanced diet, and all of them maintained good health. Therefore, she thought parents could stress less about counting bites and only offering certain foods.
The issues really started with how her work was interpreted afterward. Authors like Dr. Spock told parents that their fussing over what their kids ate was causing the children psychological damage – although there was no evidence of this – and that they should let their kids eat whatever the kids wanted! This was sort of in line with the Davis study… except, everything Davis had offered in the study was basically healthy to begin with.
As Spock’s popularity rose, so did home appliances that made cooking easier. So did mega grocery stores, with more options on hand. More pre-packaged foods, more additives, preservatives, coloring, etc. Now, parents had more variety on hand to give the child a different meal than the parents… but also, the food itself was not as healthy for any of them. Even Dr. Spock realized this, and regretted his earlier advice, but it was too late.
Is it too late to reverse the trend now? Obviously not, but it would take work. One suggestion that might be hard is to let your kids get hungry between meals by cutting back on snacking and grazing. Letting your kid go to bed hungry seems tantamount to child abuse these days, but maybe only offer so many options at dinner time, and make all of them healthy-ish. The number of choices doesn’t have to be limitless, and doesn’t have to be dictated by the kids. Easier said than done, I know, but maybe they’d come around eventually?
December 4, 2025
E ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher
I'm a huge fan of histories of everyday subjects, and particularly love books like Bundy's A Century in Food (2002). Veit, who has written histories of food in the Gilded Age, Civil War (North AND South), and the really intriguing sounding Modern Food, Moral Food: Self-Control, Science, and the Rise of Modern American Eating in the Early Twentieth Century (2013), doesn't set out to tell parents how to feed their picky eaters; she's here to tell us the history of the US diet and explain how changes led to children being picky eaters. Since I am not currently dealing with any small people who won't eat dinner, I found this fascinating.
This also delves a lot into the changes in how parenting has been viewed over the years; I particularly found the idea that "good parents are nice parents" interesting. My mother, who was born in 1934 into a family of 11, thought that two chocolate chip cookies were a fine breakfast, although when the doctor told her when I was in third grade that I needed to lose weight, she cut me back to a thermos of tomato soup and a slice of baloney (no bread!) for lunch. Nutritional advice was apparently in short supply in the 1970s, when marketing snacks to children really took off. There's also an entire chapter on Overbearing Mothers.
Even though there isn't really a prescription for dealing with picky eaters, there is a short epilogue entitles "Happy Meals" that discusses how the author has used her knowledge of food history to encourage her own children to be decent eaters. Basically, it comes down to not letting children snack, and not offering them other options is they don't like what is being served. No bribery, no arguments, just "this is what you're eating, or you're not eating". Not perfect advice, but not a bad place to start.
This is the sort of book I eat up (sorry!). I loved reading that even in 1955, doctors were opining that maybe kids weren't eating at meals was because they were not hungry, having filled up on snacks. And the thought that if you have pie every day, it becomes less special. This book was fascinating if you love to read about everyday culture and enjoyed books like Marks' Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America's First Lady of Food (2005), Wyman's SPAM: A Biography: The Amazing True Story of America's "Miracle Meat!" (1999), or Jan and Michael's Square Meals: America's Favorite Comfort Cookbook (1984). Which I should never have gotten rid of. Reading nonfiction books like this is how I will be spending my retirement, since I won't need to read middle grade novels for five hours a day!
I'm a huge fan of histories of everyday subjects, and particularly love books like Bundy's A Century in Food (2002). Veit, who has written histories of food in the Gilded Age, Civil War (North AND South), and the really intriguing sounding Modern Food, Moral Food: Self-Control, Science, and the Rise of Modern American Eating in the Early Twentieth Century (2013), doesn't set out to tell parents how to feed their picky eaters; she's here to tell us the history of the US diet and explain how changes led to children being picky eaters. Since I am not currently dealing with any small people who won't eat dinner, I found this fascinating.
This also delves a lot into the changes in how parenting has been viewed over the years; I particularly found the idea that "good parents are nice parents" interesting. My mother, who was born in 1934 into a family of 11, thought that two chocolate chip cookies were a fine breakfast, although when the doctor told her when I was in third grade that I needed to lose weight, she cut me back to a thermos of tomato soup and a slice of baloney (no bread!) for lunch. Nutritional advice was apparently in short supply in the 1970s, when marketing snacks to children really took off. There's also an entire chapter on Overbearing Mothers.
Even though there isn't really a prescription for dealing with picky eaters, there is a short epilogue entitles "Happy Meals" that discusses how the author has used her knowledge of food history to encourage her own children to be decent eaters. Basically, it comes down to not letting children snack, and not offering them other options is they don't like what is being served. No bribery, no arguments, just "this is what you're eating, or you're not eating". Not perfect advice, but not a bad place to start.
This is the sort of book I eat up (sorry!). I loved reading that even in 1955, doctors were opining that maybe kids weren't eating at meals was because they were not hungry, having filled up on snacks. And the thought that if you have pie every day, it becomes less special. This book was fascinating if you love to read about everyday culture and enjoyed books like Marks' Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America's First Lady of Food (2005), Wyman's SPAM: A Biography: The Amazing True Story of America's "Miracle Meat!" (1999), or Jan and Michael's Square Meals: America's Favorite Comfort Cookbook (1984). Which I should never have gotten rid of. Reading nonfiction books like this is how I will be spending my retirement, since I won't need to read middle grade novels for five hours a day!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I absolutely love a good history lesson, and mixing it with food, psychology, and “big food”, made this an extremely enjoyable considering how dense it was!
I loved taking a step back in time and looking at what children used to eat in 19th century America. The fact that adults and children alike ate what they could and couldn’t complain much because of a lack of refrigeration, resources, and options made for a huge lack in picky eaters. Based on the history, I think the start of the picky era did come from a good place from genuine concerns on children’s digestion, what was healthy for them, and psychologists and doctors who genuinely wanted to help, but with findings that didn’t have good science behind them, or were twisted by the public.
Because of this book, I now have a new hill to die on- death to the kids meal! My parents were classic late 90s early 2000s young parents. My siblings and I grew up on jarred baby food, kids meals at restaurants, chicken nuggets at home, etc. But both of my parents made sure that we ate a little bit of everything from our plate before we were done, and included veggies at almost every meal. My brother in particular was extremely picky to the point where at one point all he would eat were mashed potatoes and raw oats with milk. This went on for at least a couple of years. Through sheer grit and persistence my parents continued in making him try everything, and he is now considered an amazing eater as an adult. So I have seen firsthand that this style of encouragement around picky eaters and food can work.
To debunk the two major criticisms I’ve seen another reviews about this book, the “exhaustive history lesson” in my opinion was needed and incredibly enjoyable in setting the scene and showing factual evidence that how children eat today is completely foreign to how they ate for at least a millennia before now. And the second criticism, that all of the tips on how to help a current picky eater could easily be googled, I think defeats the purpose of this book. We have seriously overcomplicated food and eating, especially with children, that the way back to joyful, excited, eating is simple, but takes persistence.
This is one of my all-time favorite reads. A thorough and intense history lesson speckled with gorgeous descriptions of delicious food that children used to eat, and paving the way for children of today to have healthful and joyful eating was an amazing way to close out my 2025 reading year.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced free copy in exchange for my honest opinion!
I loved taking a step back in time and looking at what children used to eat in 19th century America. The fact that adults and children alike ate what they could and couldn’t complain much because of a lack of refrigeration, resources, and options made for a huge lack in picky eaters. Based on the history, I think the start of the picky era did come from a good place from genuine concerns on children’s digestion, what was healthy for them, and psychologists and doctors who genuinely wanted to help, but with findings that didn’t have good science behind them, or were twisted by the public.
Because of this book, I now have a new hill to die on- death to the kids meal! My parents were classic late 90s early 2000s young parents. My siblings and I grew up on jarred baby food, kids meals at restaurants, chicken nuggets at home, etc. But both of my parents made sure that we ate a little bit of everything from our plate before we were done, and included veggies at almost every meal. My brother in particular was extremely picky to the point where at one point all he would eat were mashed potatoes and raw oats with milk. This went on for at least a couple of years. Through sheer grit and persistence my parents continued in making him try everything, and he is now considered an amazing eater as an adult. So I have seen firsthand that this style of encouragement around picky eaters and food can work.
To debunk the two major criticisms I’ve seen another reviews about this book, the “exhaustive history lesson” in my opinion was needed and incredibly enjoyable in setting the scene and showing factual evidence that how children eat today is completely foreign to how they ate for at least a millennia before now. And the second criticism, that all of the tips on how to help a current picky eater could easily be googled, I think defeats the purpose of this book. We have seriously overcomplicated food and eating, especially with children, that the way back to joyful, excited, eating is simple, but takes persistence.
This is one of my all-time favorite reads. A thorough and intense history lesson speckled with gorgeous descriptions of delicious food that children used to eat, and paving the way for children of today to have healthful and joyful eating was an amazing way to close out my 2025 reading year.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced free copy in exchange for my honest opinion!
April 4, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I have two kids with sensory issues, and that’s why I was so curious to get my hands on Picky. There are many things to like about this book. I like a fact-based book that’s not too scholarly and academic, and Picky is written in a way that’s accessible to the average person. This non-fiction work also supplies plenty on the history of children’s diets for the past two centuries.
Picky is an investigative, solution-oriented book that not only looks into WHY kids in the United States are picky eaters but also provides practical advice for solving the problem. What I always suspected was true was confirmed by my reading of this book. So many preservatives and chemicals were put into our foods, especially after WWII that literally changed our taste buds.
I appreciated that the focus on who is eating what expanded beyond the United States and looked at cultures across the world. And, according to the author, “Nutrition scientists” began this false narrative that children’s digestion was different from adults, so one had to make bland, dull, white people foods. They said whole grains were dangerous to a child, that vegetables had to be boiled into mush (which takes away all the nutrients,) and other insane ideas that had no scientific evidence supporting them.
And, of course, there’s still a lot of pressure placed on parents regarding what foods a child should eat. I remember reading the book of a famous sportscaster who said he’s never eaten vegetables a day in his life that he can remember, and he’s in his upper 80s now. My maternal grandfather’s family was so poor they often resorted to eating lard sandwiches while he was growing up, and he lived until 96. Parents are constantly given advice on what they should be feeding their kids, and it’s been that for generations, but there’s a whole swath of the population that faces food insecurity every day; they get what they can afford to eat, and often those are the cheapest, and not always healthiest choices.
Luckily, there’s been backlash of some of the choices major food manufacturers make, especially foods that have added salts, sugars, preservatives, and unnatural colors to make foods more appealing. The use of marketing and cartoon characters on food aimed at children is also explored. Overall, a very satisfying read.
I have two kids with sensory issues, and that’s why I was so curious to get my hands on Picky. There are many things to like about this book. I like a fact-based book that’s not too scholarly and academic, and Picky is written in a way that’s accessible to the average person. This non-fiction work also supplies plenty on the history of children’s diets for the past two centuries.
Picky is an investigative, solution-oriented book that not only looks into WHY kids in the United States are picky eaters but also provides practical advice for solving the problem. What I always suspected was true was confirmed by my reading of this book. So many preservatives and chemicals were put into our foods, especially after WWII that literally changed our taste buds.
I appreciated that the focus on who is eating what expanded beyond the United States and looked at cultures across the world. And, according to the author, “Nutrition scientists” began this false narrative that children’s digestion was different from adults, so one had to make bland, dull, white people foods. They said whole grains were dangerous to a child, that vegetables had to be boiled into mush (which takes away all the nutrients,) and other insane ideas that had no scientific evidence supporting them.
And, of course, there’s still a lot of pressure placed on parents regarding what foods a child should eat. I remember reading the book of a famous sportscaster who said he’s never eaten vegetables a day in his life that he can remember, and he’s in his upper 80s now. My maternal grandfather’s family was so poor they often resorted to eating lard sandwiches while he was growing up, and he lived until 96. Parents are constantly given advice on what they should be feeding their kids, and it’s been that for generations, but there’s a whole swath of the population that faces food insecurity every day; they get what they can afford to eat, and often those are the cheapest, and not always healthiest choices.
Luckily, there’s been backlash of some of the choices major food manufacturers make, especially foods that have added salts, sugars, preservatives, and unnatural colors to make foods more appealing. The use of marketing and cartoon characters on food aimed at children is also explored. Overall, a very satisfying read.
December 2, 2025
Fantastic historical tour of children's eating habits throughout history and across cultures, and highlights the multiple aspects that led to a seismic shift towards "pickiness" halfway through the mid-20th century.
To put it broadly, children started snacking more (which became possible with the addition of refrigerators, more shelf-stable options, and plastic packaging that allowed food to be carried with us throughout the day), and psychologists started scaring parents into not encouraging their children to eat food "they didn't like," children became inundated with countless, manipulative advertisements for junk food, and above all, parents lost confidence when it came to promoting healthy eating.
Veit goes into far more detail on each facet and includes very interesting tidbits I'd never heard before (like the fact that there was a time when people thought children shouldn't eat raw fruit!). Further, it really highlights how over-processed foods might be making a huge impact on the increase of pickiness in children; by introducing vibrant, artificial colors and smooth textures, children are naturally more hesitant to try raw options that come in various textures and more "unappealing" colors. It's not hard to see why M&Ms do more visually for the appetite than raisins, for example. Veit also dispels some commonly held beliefs, such as the idea that children have more taste buds (research on this is surprisingly sparse and proxy-driven).
Overall, I thought this was an engaging, quick read that really expanded my understanding of childhood eating preferences and historical patterns. Veit ended with approachable, encouraging advice to parents, and I would recommend this book to anyone who is currently curious about this uptick in "picky eating."
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
To put it broadly, children started snacking more (which became possible with the addition of refrigerators, more shelf-stable options, and plastic packaging that allowed food to be carried with us throughout the day), and psychologists started scaring parents into not encouraging their children to eat food "they didn't like," children became inundated with countless, manipulative advertisements for junk food, and above all, parents lost confidence when it came to promoting healthy eating.
Veit goes into far more detail on each facet and includes very interesting tidbits I'd never heard before (like the fact that there was a time when people thought children shouldn't eat raw fruit!). Further, it really highlights how over-processed foods might be making a huge impact on the increase of pickiness in children; by introducing vibrant, artificial colors and smooth textures, children are naturally more hesitant to try raw options that come in various textures and more "unappealing" colors. It's not hard to see why M&Ms do more visually for the appetite than raisins, for example. Veit also dispels some commonly held beliefs, such as the idea that children have more taste buds (research on this is surprisingly sparse and proxy-driven).
Overall, I thought this was an engaging, quick read that really expanded my understanding of childhood eating preferences and historical patterns. Veit ended with approachable, encouraging advice to parents, and I would recommend this book to anyone who is currently curious about this uptick in "picky eating."
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
February 26, 2026
As a mom of four boys, I never expected to be the parent dealing with a picky eater. My older three were adventurous, curious, and happily ate whatever we put on the table. Then came my youngest and suddenly I found myself navigating food refusals, narrowed preferences, and wondering what in the world I was doing wrong.
That’s exactly why I was so eager to read Picky by Helen Zoe Veit.
This book completely reframes the conversation around picky eating. Veit explores how, for much of American history, children were actually expected to eat what adults ate...and they did. Bitter greens, spicy relishes, raw oysters, strong flavors, kids were seen as naturally curious eaters, not fragile ones in need of beige “kid food.”
So what changed?
Veit carefully unpacks how modern ideas about childhood, psychology, marketing, and nutrition reshaped the way we feed children and how “pickiness” slowly became something we assume is biologically inevitable. The concept that kids have special taste buds or that encouraging them to try foods could harm them emotionally? Those beliefs are surprisingly new.
Reading this as a mom in the thick of it was eye-opening. It didn’t make me feel judged. It didn’t shame me. Instead, it gave me context. It helped me see that picky eating isn’t just about one stubborn child at my table...it’s part of a much bigger cultural shift.
What I appreciated most is that this book offers perspective and practical wisdom without gimmicks or quick fixes. It gently reminds us that children are capable of more than we often assume, and that our expectations, and consistency, matter.
If you’re a parent feeling confused, frustrated, or just plain exhausted at the dinner table, Picky is absolutely worth your time. It may not magically make your child eat broccoli tomorrow, but it will give you clarity, confidence, and a new way to approach the conversation.
And for this mama of four? That alone made it worthwhile.
That’s exactly why I was so eager to read Picky by Helen Zoe Veit.
This book completely reframes the conversation around picky eating. Veit explores how, for much of American history, children were actually expected to eat what adults ate...and they did. Bitter greens, spicy relishes, raw oysters, strong flavors, kids were seen as naturally curious eaters, not fragile ones in need of beige “kid food.”
So what changed?
Veit carefully unpacks how modern ideas about childhood, psychology, marketing, and nutrition reshaped the way we feed children and how “pickiness” slowly became something we assume is biologically inevitable. The concept that kids have special taste buds or that encouraging them to try foods could harm them emotionally? Those beliefs are surprisingly new.
Reading this as a mom in the thick of it was eye-opening. It didn’t make me feel judged. It didn’t shame me. Instead, it gave me context. It helped me see that picky eating isn’t just about one stubborn child at my table...it’s part of a much bigger cultural shift.
What I appreciated most is that this book offers perspective and practical wisdom without gimmicks or quick fixes. It gently reminds us that children are capable of more than we often assume, and that our expectations, and consistency, matter.
If you’re a parent feeling confused, frustrated, or just plain exhausted at the dinner table, Picky is absolutely worth your time. It may not magically make your child eat broccoli tomorrow, but it will give you clarity, confidence, and a new way to approach the conversation.
And for this mama of four? That alone made it worthwhile.
Read
November 26, 2025I just finished Picky by Helen Zoe Veit - How American Children became the fussiest eaters in history and here are my musings.
When I received this book I was like… YUP this is my life… I have 2 ASD level 3 kids and they literally live on nothing.
This book didn’t really give me any insight on how to change the habits of my kids but an interesting look at things have changed from decade to decade… I personally think that the government and their lobby habits have made parents for the most part flip flop on what is healthy and “best for their family” based on who paid the most money.
I am not saying this book is wrong but as a parent with 23 years experience and still has young kids today.. I can tell you that the triangle they use as a reference guide has changed almost every year since I started paying attention. I’m sure that has zero to do with it but I digress.
This book is well written and interesting if you are just looking to learn the what of history, then this is a really clever and insightful read. This book makes note of how obese kids are today and this is very true but again, could’t this be because they spend more time in front of screens and eat for pleasure?
I disagree a lot with this book in the whys but I did enjoy reading it. I think the snacking culture we have is a massive part of picky eating because they do come to the table less hungry and less likely to eat the healthier options so I guess me and the book do agree on something.
The book has almost 80 pages of citations which I found intriguing but it took up a lot of retail space in the book.
Not sure who the niche is here but all in all not a bad resource if this is something you are interested in.
3.5 stars
Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted copy and my opinions are my own.
Expected pub 24 Feb 26
When I received this book I was like… YUP this is my life… I have 2 ASD level 3 kids and they literally live on nothing.
This book didn’t really give me any insight on how to change the habits of my kids but an interesting look at things have changed from decade to decade… I personally think that the government and their lobby habits have made parents for the most part flip flop on what is healthy and “best for their family” based on who paid the most money.
I am not saying this book is wrong but as a parent with 23 years experience and still has young kids today.. I can tell you that the triangle they use as a reference guide has changed almost every year since I started paying attention. I’m sure that has zero to do with it but I digress.
This book is well written and interesting if you are just looking to learn the what of history, then this is a really clever and insightful read. This book makes note of how obese kids are today and this is very true but again, could’t this be because they spend more time in front of screens and eat for pleasure?
I disagree a lot with this book in the whys but I did enjoy reading it. I think the snacking culture we have is a massive part of picky eating because they do come to the table less hungry and less likely to eat the healthier options so I guess me and the book do agree on something.
The book has almost 80 pages of citations which I found intriguing but it took up a lot of retail space in the book.
Not sure who the niche is here but all in all not a bad resource if this is something you are interested in.
3.5 stars
Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted copy and my opinions are my own.
Expected pub 24 Feb 26
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