• The extent to which one's diet is restricted - Picky Eaters tend to exclude a great many things from their diet, often whole food groups, such as fruits or vegetables. Particular textures may be excluded also.


• The reasons why one's diet is restricted - While we seem to be a fairly diverse group, many Picky Eaters do not refuse the majority of their avoided foods because they just don't like the taste, or because of some aversive physical reaction to them. Often they have never even tried the foods they avoid. They just can't bring themselves to put these foods in their mouth. What happens when they do is another story - they may well dislike certain tastes or textures to the point of not being able to tolerate them. Many picky eaters will say that certain foods just don't seem like food to them. For many the avoidance is more like an instinct about certain foods than an attitude learned from experience with that particular food.

There are other characteristics of Picky Eating which some but not all picky eaters may share. It usually starts in late infancy/early childhood. Certainly, most picky eaters will have developed their problem before the age of 5, and the majority of those within the first 2 years of life.