And now it's time for Who's Smarted.
Psst, hey there smartypants.
Question, do you love visiting your grandparents?
Of course you do. And so do I.
In fact, I'm on my way to my grandma's house right now.
Of course, as much as I love my grandma and am so excited to see her, there's one thing that has me a little nervous.
She's making dinner, and you know what that means.
Who wants meat cake?
Oof, I don't know what's in it.
I don't know how she makes it, and I certainly don't know what it has to do with cake.
The truth is, I have never liked meat cake, and I'm pretty sure I'm never going to like it.
Why can't we order a pizza instead?
Huh, picky eater. Wait, who said that?
Did someone just call me a picky eater?
I am not a picky eater.
That would be my cousin Sheldon.
When we were kids, he wouldn't even eat birthday cake, let alone meat cake.
We kind of lost touch when we both went away to college.
I wonder what he's doing now.
You know what, let me give him a call.
Siri, call cousin Sheldon.
Calling cousin Sheldon Mobile.
Hello. Hey, what's up, cuz?
It's trusty. Oh hey, trusty.
It's been a while. I know.
Sorry about that. Smarting takes up a lot of my time.
Wow, what's all that noise in the background?
Oh, I'm in the kitchen of my restaurant.
I'm a chef. Wait, the boy who wouldn't try any foods as a kid is a chef now?
That's right. Wow, that's amazing!
I mean, you were such a picky eater growing up.
I'd love to know how you learned to try and even cook new foods, but it sounds like you're pretty busy.
I am, but we never get to talk.
If you don't mind the kitchen noises, I can chat while I work.
Sure, I'm sure the smarty pants are just as curious as I am.
Like, why are some kids and even some adults picky eaters?
Is there something in a person's body that makes them not want to eat or even try new foods?
And why do so many picky eaters prefer the same foods over and over and over again?
It's time for another whiff of delicious cooking, science, and history on...
Who's smarted? Who's smart?
Is it you? Is it me?
Is it science? Or history?
Listen up! Everyone, we make smarted!
Lots of fun on who's smarted!
When dinner time disputes get too hot to handle, you take them to the food court.
On food crimes, family members finally get the five -star presentation they've hungered for and the justice they deserve.
And no matter who gets charged, it's up to the kids to decide the verdict.
Food crimes. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.
Justice will be served.
Preferably, with a side of fries.
Smarty pants. When my cousin Sheldon and I were kids, he was a super picky eater who only ate white rice and pasta with butter.
But now he's a chef?
So why are some kids and some adults picky eaters?
Well, if you're naturally more sensitive to the taste, smell, and texture of food, it gives you more of a chance to notice things you don't like about it.
Sometimes children develop picky eating habits by modeling their adults' eating habits.
While picky eating habits are usually associated with kids, some adults continue only eating certain favorite foods as adults.
We all know how you feel about pizza, trusty.
Ha, I do love pizza, but I don't think there's anything wrong with having a favorite food, right, smarty pants?
But I eat all kinds of things.
Meats, cheeses, fruits, veggies, cookies, more cookies.
But wait, is there something going on inside a picky eater's body or brain that makes them not want to try new foods?
Some people have what's called an inherent picky eating temperament, which means not wanting to try new foods is a part of their personality.
Interesting. You know, Grandma's meat cake definitely has an unusual smell.
Smarty pants. True or false?
Children, especially picky eaters, usually like sweet foods.
If you said true, you're right.
That's because bitter flavors, like the flavor of broccoli, are similar to the flavors of dangerous plants.
Sugary flavored plants, like fruit, are not nearly as dangerous.
Ah. So when our ancestors were trying to figure out which foods were safe to eat, not liking bitter flavors actually helped them survive.
Me no eat green plant, prefer red berry.
Even though we now know that not all bitter tasting plants are poisonous and some are super healthy and super delicious, it can be hard to get a picky eater to try new foods.
Smarty pants. When feeding a picky eater something new, should you A, introduce lots of new foods at once to see what they like.
B, serve the new food along with familiar favorites.
Or C, serve the new food on its own.
If you said B, serve the new food along with familiar favorites, you're right.
Introducing lots of new foods at once can be overwhelming and scary.
The trusty. Maybe you could try cutting the meat cake into pieces and using it as a pizza topping.
Sure. And then I could pick the meat cake off and eat my pizza plane if I don't like it.
Since different foods have different things that make them healthy, is it unhealthy to be a picky eater?
For most people, picky eating doesn't cause major health problems.
But there is a more severe form called avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, or ARFID.
People with ARFID avoid food to the point that they don't get enough nutrients.
Smarty Pants, what percent of children are affected by ARFID?
Is it A, at least 5 %?
B, at least 10 %? Or C, at least 15 %?
If you said at least 5%, you're right.
While that may seem like a small number, ARFID is serious and often requires professional help since it causes high levels of stress at meal times as well as causing kids to not get enough healthy nutrients.
Also, many children with typical picky eating habits don't choose the healthiest foods.
After all, many kids prefer sweets or fast foods to healthier foods like fruits and vegetables.
Smarty Pants, when do most people experience picky eating?
Is it A, between the ages of 3 and 5?
B, the ages of 5 and 10?
Or C, the ages of 10 and 15?
If you said A, 3 and 5, you got it.
Up to half of all preschoolers can be picky eaters, while only a quarter or less of older children are picky eaters.
I eventually outgrew my picky eating phase and learned to try and love many new foods.
The good news is, grown -ups can help children learn to try new, healthier foods.
And there are things kids can do to help try them, too.
Oh, yeah? What can Smarty Pants do to help them try new foods?
This may seem hard, but skipping an after -school snack can help you be hungrier for dinner.
And the hungrier you are, the more likely you might be to try new foods.
Huh, makes sense? Something else that helped me try new foods is taking ownership of my food.
Uh, once it's on your plate, don't you own it?
Not like that. Taking ownership of your food means helping with grocery shopping, cooking, and or serving the food.
Most kids don't have much choice in what they're eating, but participating in buying, making, and serving it can make it a personal experience.
Oh, I see. Like, if I helped make the meat cake, maybe I'd be more excited to eat it.
And also know what's in it.
Exactly. Of course, it's perfectly okay to not like meat cake.
Not all picky eaters leave their picky eating habits behind as they get older.
And some picky eating kids grow up to be picky eating adults.
Right, but that's not me.
There's only a few foods that I don't like.
And most of them are meat cake.
Smarty pants, besides flavor and smell, what would a picky eater be most likely to find disgusting about a food?
Is it A, the layers and textures?
B, the color? Or C, the sound of chewing?
While all of these can actually disturb a picky eater, most picky eaters are turned off by A, the layers and textures.
Good job if you got that.
Some people won't even try my lasagna because of the layers and textures.
Well, I'd definitely try it.
It has tomato sauce and cheese, just like something else I love.
But tonight, I have to eat meat cake.
Talk about a strange texture.
I don't remember ever liking it.
That's not surprising.
According to research, babies control pickiness as early as two weeks old.
Whoa. Really? But most babies don't even start eating baby food until past that.
How could they already know what they do or don't like?
Picky eating has genetic and environmental influences, which means some of it comes from the child's family and some comes from the child's environment.
Many picky eaters have a parent who is also a picky eater.
Since my mom and your dad both grew up eating grandma's meat cake, I'm pretty sure I know where that came from.
Yeah, I actually like it.
It's high in protein and has some hidden veggies.
I asked for the recipe for my restaurant, but Grandma wouldn't share it with me.
Well, that's probably a good thing for your customers.
I don't want to eat it for free, let alone pay for it.
So tell me, trusty, which of the five peas of picky eating are you feeling right now?
Five peas of picky eating?
What are those? Smarty pants?
Do you know? Well, you're about to find out right after this quick break.
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Now back to Who Smarted.
So, Smarty Pants, my cousin, Chef Sheldon, just mentioned the 5 P's of picky eating.
Any idea what they are?
Yeah, me neither. If you asked me, I'd probably say pizza, popcorn, pretzels, pasta, and pancakes.
All foods we've done, episodes of Who Smarted, by the way.
But that's probably wrong.
Yeah. The actual 5 P's are palate, pain, processing, pressure, and power.
Ah, I see. But what does that mean?
Palate, pain, and processing are physical, which means they happen in your body.
Palate is how you chew.
If you have difficulty chewing a food, you might decide you don't like it.
Pain is how your body reacts after eating.
If a food makes your tummy hurt, you'll probably decide you dislike it.
Processing has to do with your senses.
Smarty Pants, we've talked about your senses before.
How many main ones are there?
Did you say five? Excellent!
There can be as many as five things wrong with the food or the environment it's served in.
The food might look strange.
Ew. The environment may be too noisy.
The food might smell weird.
It may taste bad. Or the feel of the food might be unusual.
Your senses are how you interact with the world around you.
And food is part of that.
But what about the other two P's?
Pressure happens when an adult tries to force a child to eat something they don't want to eat.
And the last P, power, happens when the child realizes that they have the power to choose not to eat it.
So, which is it, Trusty?
I'm gonna say all five P's.
But you know, tonight I'm gonna put all that aside and...
Try the meat cake! Nice.
Good luck, Trusty. And you gotta come by my restaurant soon.
Thanks. And I will.
Hi, Grandma. I'm here, and I'm excited to try some meat cake.
Oh. But I know you don't like meat cake, so I made something else instead.
Oh, thanks Grandma.
Who wants meat smoothies?
A big shout out to Smarty fans Ada and Annalise in Washington D .C.
And their father Adrian, who just so happens to be a great editor we love working with.
We're so glad you love listening, learning, and laughing along to Who Smarted with your friends Brooke and Barrett.
Keep on smarting! This episode, Picky Eaters, was written by Sarah Sweet Tooth Sweetik and voiced by Thea No Garlic Garland, meat -loving Max Kamaski, Adam Double Dessert Davis, and Jerry Colbert.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hansas Han, who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios.
Our associate producer is Max Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Half -Sour Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis.
Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment Production.
