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Are you a foodie? Are you picky about what's on your plate and only want certain foods in your meals? Well, maybe this isn't a phase at all? A recent study led by Professor Claire Llewellyn from University College London suggests that the reasons for binge eating may lie deep in people's genetics. Young children often have limited food preferences and are not eager to explore new foods. Parents believe this is a temporary phase, but recent research shows it may not be what it seems. Research shows that binge eating is influenced by certain genes in the body. Zeynep Nass, a researcher at University College London and lead author of the study, said in a media release that the results suggest that binge eating is not a temporary phase, but rather a progression. For this research, parents of twins were selected to conduct the research. The twins were selected to determine whether their unfortunate eating habits were due to genetic or environmental factors. This study was conducted on parents of monozygotic and non-identical twins between the ages of 12 months and 13 years.

To understand the influence of genetics on picky eating habits, researchers compared the similarity in eating habits of identical twins, who share 100 percent of their genes, and non-identical twins, who share 50 percent of their genes. It has been observed that non-identical twins have different nutritional behavior than monozygotic twins, which is more indicative of genetic influences. The influence of environmental factors on eating behavior, such as the number of friends, became more pronounced between ages 7 and 13. Binge eating has a strong genetic influence, but that doesn't mean you can't change your behavior patterns for the better. Parents can introduce various foods and substances to influence eating habits. Peer groups also play an important role in changing mindful eating habits in later phases.