My first child is the very picture of the perfect pint-size eater. Now 7 years old, she's always loved healthy foods, truly gets excited when I place a bowl of peas or a plate of broccoli in front of her for dinner, and seems to eat her weight in fruit weekly. She also isn't afraid to try new foods, even when they're exotic, and recently requested crab cakes for her birthday lunch. Initially, I took credit for her varied and awesome eating, which I assumed was caused by my expert parenting. Obviously. Unfortunately, her little brother quickly disproved that theory.
I introduced foods to my son the same way I had his sister, yet he's refused to eat almost anything but corn dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches basically since he was old enough to chew. Yep, my 4-year-old son is about as picky of an eater as I've ever met, preferring to keep his diet limited to carbs, cheese, encased meats, and as many sweet foods as I'll allow, as long as they're not in the fruit family. Getting him to add healthy, non-hot-dog-based meals into his life has been a struggle, one that I would say I'm far from winning.
Having two such different types of eaters as children has taught me a few things about what to do and what not to do to in an effort to prevent your kid from becoming as picky of an eater as I'm currently dealing with. Sure, their nature might be to eat only white bread, but these nurturing steps can open up their palate, and in time, they might even let in some leafy greens.