That untouched plate and look of disgust on your child’s face at mealtime might be a sign of much bigger issues. Picky eating, even at moderate levels, is linked with psychiatric (精神疾病的) problems, including anxiety and depression in kids, according to a study in the journal Pediatrics. It found that the mental problems worsened as picky eating became more severe. The issue is serious enough that health care providers should intervene (干预), the paper concludes.

For parents, the issue can be a nightmare as children skip entire food groups like fruit and vegetables. “We need to do a better job of giving advice to these parents,” said Nancy Zucker, study co-author. “The first key message is that you are not to blame. The second key message is that it is more complicated than we think.”

The study screened more than 1,000 children aged 2 to 5, and found 20 percent were picky eaters. The researchers stress this goes beyond kids who just hate onions or have certain dislikes. More than 17 percent of kids were classified as moderate picky eaters: These children had a very limited range of foods they would eat and they would not try anything else. About 3 percent were considered severe picky eaters: Their sensitivities to smell or taste were so strong that even eating outside of the home was difficult. As they get older, it could be hard for them to go out with friends or eat at school.

Picky eaters are more sensitive to the smell of food, and have a stronger sense of disgust than other kids, the study found. This ability to experience the world more intensely may also make it harder for them to control their emotions or focus, the researchers suggest. “These are just sensitive kids, they see things more intently (专注地), they feel things more deeply and that is both in their own internal experience and the world around them. So they have more vulnerabilities (脆弱性) to experience taste more vividly, but also more emotions more strongly,” Zucker said.

The researchers also note that the term picky eating may now be obsolete (过时的). They suggest that the condition might be better described as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).

To help the environment, many Americans have made the change from paper and plastic bags to reusable shopping bags.But a report by a Florida newspaper says that reusable shopping bags sold by some supermarkets have high levels of lead(铅), which can be dangerous to humans, especially young children.Now, there’s a call for a rethink about the use of reusable shopping bags.

“When our families go to the store looking for safe and healthy foods, the last thing they should be worrying about is a bag，”Charles Schumer, a government official said.“Quick and complete research will allow everyone to make right decisions.”

The newspaper bought more than a dozen bags sold at Publix supermarkets from Florida supermarkets to test them for lead.The results showed that certain bags had lead levels that worried health officials.Some bags had enough lead in them to be considered dangerous waste if people were to throw the bags out with other rubbish.Lead in the bags is not likely to move onto food.But over time, paint (油漆) on the bags can break off and the bags can wear out.When this happens, lead can be freed.

The affected (受影响的) bags were found in Florida.But Publix has more than 1，000 stores across America.Publix says that its bags don’t break any laws about lead levels, but that they have asked the makers of the bags to reduce(降低) the lead levels in them.

The bags with the highest levels of lead had beautiful designs and many pictures.Plain reusable bags without them are found to have little lead.People worried about lead levels in reusable bags can turn to cloth.Paper bags are also a good choice, since paper can be reused.

The employees at Helwig Carbon Products in Milwaukee have their own company cafeteria. But if anyone wants to eat a doughnut(甜甜圈), it’s going to cost twice as much as what they might pay for the sweet at the local grocery store. That’s because Helwig Carbon Products has a wellness program, and it is one of many local companies trying to show employees how to eat healthier.

“We’re really trying to persuade people to eat healthier,” said Cheryl Brah, human resources director at Helwig Carbon Products. “A piece of fruit is 25 cents; a doughnut is $1.50—and we still have people who buy doughnuts. People complain—but we really try to put our efforts toward the middle-of-the-line people who might lean more toward the wellness side, eventually.”

This effort isn’t just happening at Helwig Carbon. There has been a city-wide movement of 44 local companies who added or evolved their health and wellness programs to their company culture. It all started several years ago, when a program called Well City Milwaukee teamed up with 44 local businesses that collectively represent a workforce of 130,000 employees. Well City Milwaukee provided healthy practices guidelines for businesses. In exchange, it surveyed the employees to find out what their health needs and risks were and what activities they found interesting. Well City then set a very high bar for companies to meet a lot of expectations to be considered a top wellness program.

Companies needed a commitment from the CEO; to form a wellness team; to collect information from the employees in surveys and health assessments; to come up with an operating plan; to create a supportive environment; to self-evaluate their efforts; and finally, to choose their best approaches. That meant coming up with activities, better nutrition education, and motivational programs like getting people to quit smoking, getting people in for medical self-care and working on stress management.