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Food jags - Overview

Alternative Names

Refusal to eat; Fear of new foods

Definition of Food jags:

A food jag is when a child will only eat one food item meal after meal. Some other common childhood eating behaviors that can cause alarm in many parents include fear of new foods and refusal to eat what is served.

Function:

At times children's eating habits are a way for them to feel independent. This marks normal development in children.

Reviewed last on: 11/30/2009
David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., and Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine.

References

Heird WC. The feeding of infants and children. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 42.

Kimmel SR, Ratliff-Schaub K. Growth and development. In: Rakel RE, ed. Textbook of Family Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 31.

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