Parents annoyed by their little ones’ picky food choices often sigh in anger, thinking, “They’ll grow out of it by college.” Maybe not, suggests a new study from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Some young people continue their picky eating into early adulthood, often restricting their diets to 10 food s or even fewer. Such a deficient diet can mean they’re not getting the fibre (纤维) and vegetables they need, which could be a health problem. The study also suggests picky eaters may also be experiencing other challenges such as social phobias (恐惧症), including around eating. The social phobia is the fear of being judged by others during everyday activities, often resulting in fear or embarrassment.
For the study, researchers surveyed 488 Midwestern college students. About 40% of the students were identified as picky eaters. And about 65% of those respondents said they ate fewer than 10 foods. “We asked participants to just tell us what challenges around picky eating might have had or any benefits they might see, and people answered differently in terms of what has an effect on them,” said co-author Lauren Dial, a doctoral student at Bowling Green State at the time of the study.
Many indicated they’d eat less or not at all outside the home. One 19-year-old man said he’d drink water half the time “due to my picky eating”, according to the study. Another 18-year-old said, “Sometimes there are some awkward comments when I am eating with my girlfriend and her family.” A 23-year-old woman said her parents would get frustrated at her refusal to try the foods she was served.
“Picky eating does have a lot to do with the presentation of foods (how they’re presented on a plate), and the texture (口感) of foods,” Dial said, “but there’s also fear of trying new foods and that might play into picky eating.” By learning more about picky eating in adults, the researchers said they may be able to determine how best to intervene (干预) before the problem becomes more severe for some people.
【小题1】What can best replace the underlined word “deficient” in paragraph 1?| A．High-fibre. | B．Low-fat. | C．Balanced. | D．Limited. |
| A．Record how often they eat out. |
| B．Ignore what influences their eating. |
| C．Express how picky eating affects them. |
| D．Count how many kinds of foods they prefer. |
| A．By presenting data. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following time order. | D．By providing examples. |
| A．It has something to do with family traditions. |
| B．It can be easily cured by the researchers. |
| C．It can have both physical and mental reasons. |
| D．It often comes along with serious mental illnesses. |
