Some kids seem more focused on food than others, even within the same family. Understand your child’s eating behaviors and what they mean. 

Can kids really have food obsessions? Many parents would shout from the rooftops: Yes! 

That’s because they witness their child’s eating behavior every day. Some kids eat a lot of sweet foods, like ice cream. Others seem to focus on junk food or snack foods. Parents worry about their child developing a positive relationship with food.

As a pediatric dietitian, I’ve had many parents of children over the years tell me their child’s eating behaviors don’t seem normal. 

They report their kid seems more focused on food compared to other members of the family. Or, their kid eats for emotional reasons. They tell me their child overeats at parties and, on special occasions, to the point of getting sick.

They wonder if their child has an unhealthy relationship with food. A sugar obsession. 

They worry about their child’s weight, body image issues, too much sugar, and unhealthy eating habits.

In my private practice, I encourage parents to take a deep breath. To pause. What looks like obsessive behaviors may not be something to worry about. These behaviors may be normal behavior for the child in question. The worst thing is to pathologize a child’s eating – make them and their eating seem like a bad thing. Because then they are likely to think THEY are a bad thing, which can lead to low self-esteem.

Understanding Eating Behaviors in Children

Kids and their eating behaviors can be hard to figure out. If your child enjoys food, are they obsessed?

If they overeat, have they lost control? If they sneak, are they fixated on food?

If they ask lots of questions about food and eating, are they too focused on it?

These are the questions parents ask. Scientific research tells us some kids can have appetite traits and cognitive challenges that may cause a greater fixation on food.

Let’s explore some of the common eating behaviors I see in children, and why they may exist. 

1. Child is excited about sweets and savory foods

Most kids I know (even my own) get excited about sugary foods and treats, but some kids get really excited.

I mean really excited.

This is due to what is called food responsiveness, or a heightened arousal to food cues, like the sight or smell of food.

Food responsiveness, just like satiety responsiveness (the tendency to be more aware of the feeling of fullness), is an appetite trait that is passed down through families.

Simply said, some kids are just naturally more interested and aroused by food.

2. Childs loses control of eating

When presented with food, some kids appear to be missing the fullness signal. In other words, they don’t have a stop button.

They keep eating until they’re quite full. Sometimes overeating until they become sick.

In children, we refer to this as loss of control eating.

Loss of control differs from binge eating. 

Loss of control eating is based on a feeling (“I can’t seem to stop myself.”), rather than on a quantity of food consumed (an entire bag of chocolates) or a timeframe within which such food is consumed (15 minutes).

3. Poor decisions about food and eating

Related to the above, some parents notice their child makes poor decisions about food or eating, especially if treat food, palatable food, or favorite foods are around.

This may be because of poor executive functioning skills – those higher order brain skills that include making a decision at the moment, impulse control, delayed gratification, and inhibition.

If your child just ate and sees something a particular food they like and wants to eat it despite a lack of hunger (impulsive), or can’t put off eating until the next meal (inhibition), then your child’s eating behavior may reflect challenges with executive functioning skills.

4. Doesn’t know fullness (impaired satiety response)

Leptin is the satiety hormone that tells us we’re full after eating. It triggers us to stop eating.

In some children, especially those who carry excess body fat, the satiety response may not be working properly. The signal to the brain gets muffled.

As a result, a child doesn’t receive the fullness signal as strongly, and may seem to be ‘always hungry.’

5. Hides or hoards food

If you’ve found your child has hidden food, especially specific foods that may have been restricted in the past, or has stockpiled food somewhere, you may be worried your child has a growing food obsession.

In my experience, this happens when kids experience restriction from eating sweets or types of foods they like.

Food restriction, in this case, may cause a preoccupation with the food that is being eliminated or tightly controlled. This creates a scarcity mindset (“I’m not allowed to have these foods, so I better get them.”) 

Also, some kids may hide or hoard food because they fear getting in trouble for eating, or have shame around the foods they enjoy eating.

6. Eats in secret

Sneak eating is similar to hiding or hoarding food. It’s often done in response to the scarcity of desired or preferred foods.

If your child eats in secret, they may feel shame about eating, or embarrassed about their food choices.

It may also be a sign of disordered eating, or an eating disorder like binge eating.

7. Kid grazes all day long

If your child eats all day long, including regular meals and snack time, it can certainly seem like they’re obsessed with food.

The bigger issue, though, is the impact of grazing on appetite awareness. 

When eating occurs frequently throughout the day, it’s possible a child can become disconnected from their hunger and fullness cues.

Grazing makes it hard to feel true physical hunger, and easy to overeat.

8. Preoccupied with food

If your child is always asking about when meals are served, what’s on the menu, or seems to think about food all the time, it may be frustrating to provide reassurance, repeatedly.

But preoccupation may be related to food scarcity, in which case you will want to reassure your child when food is being offered.

On the other hand, an awareness of food may just be a sign of food interest and enjoyment, which isn’t a bad thing.

In fact, enjoying food is a goal we want for all children.

Food Obsession and Eating Behavior is Complex

Of course, there are many reasons why a child eats. Biology will keep us all eating just to stay alive. 

Psychology and emotions can drive eating behaviors, too. Your feeding style, the feeding relationship, and the family dynamic play a role, as well.

While there are things you can control about your child’s eating, other things you can’t, like their appetite traits. 

Resources

How to set up a healthy food system, feeding practices that encourage good eating habits, and learn more in our programs and workshops.