The peak time for picky eating is the toddler or preschool years. Sometimes children dislike foods because of their color, but more often it's because they are difficult to chew.
Children accept tender meats better than tough ones, and well-cooked vegetables better than raw.
Some children are repulsed by foods with a bitter taste. Occasionally a child who gags on large pieces of all foods has large tonsils that make it difficult to swallow. Outcome Most children who are picky eaters will try new foods in the school years because of peer pressure. The voracious appetite during the adolescent years also increases the willingness to experiment. If you try to force your child to eat a food he doesn't like, he may gag or even vomit.