Historian Helen Zoe Veit’s new book, Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History, traces a dramatic transformation in childhood eating habits over two centuries. The study reveals that early 19th-century American children consumed an expansive range of foods—including codfish cakes, raw turnips, and jellied pork brain—before becoming increasingly selective.
Veit’s research demonstrates that “happy childhood omnivorousness” was widespread despite high child mortality rates from disease in the early 1800s. By the late 19th century, reformers began advocating for bland, distinct meals for children, claiming indiscriminate diets weakened or killed them. This era also saw social prejudices influence food choices, with wealthy white Americans deeming non-picky eaters less civilized and labeling eating between meals as “ill-bred.” Physician William Alcott famously asserted that careless parents “murdered” their children through improper feeding.
The book highlights how industrialization and marketing introduced processed foods like boxed macaroni and cheese, vitamin-fortified cereals, and canned vegetables by the mid-20th century—factors coinciding with a rise in picky eating. Veit examines historical medical advice, including pediatrician Clara Davis’s 1920s experiments suggesting children would eat healthfully when left to choose, though this theory was later disproven.
As a freelance editor and recipe tester, Bonnie S. Benwick notes that the book offers practical strategies for parents—such as politely declining alternative food offers and setting no fixed number of attempts—but fails to provide novel solutions for contemporary picky eating challenges. The reviewer points out that some guidance, like establishing time limits between food offerings, dates back to 1922.