Mother's diet can influence a child's taste, says study

Flavours experienced in the womb and, later, in mothers' milk may have a significant influence on what children are willing to eat.

Research shows that the experience of food eaten by pregnant women and mothers can be transmitted to their foetuses and infants, according to a nutritionist, Julie Mennella.

Those first flavours can play a major role in determining a child's later food preferences. The research suggests that one way to help persuade children to eat their greens might be for mothers to eat vegetables themselves during and just after pregnancy.

"Although there are a lot of different factors involved, it might be sensible for mothers to think about what they're eating," said Ms Mennella, of the Monell Institute in Philadelphia.


http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article329748.ece

What a duh! statement.

What I craved and ate when pregnant with my son was tomatoes- had to have them, all the time. The boy won't touch a tomato with a 10 foot pole today.

My mother was a depression survivor who felt it her due to eat a diet heavy in meat and fat. She felt deprived if she didn't get meat at three meals a day, served by the clock, not appetite.

I am the exact opposite in all regards.

Guess what one of my favorite foods is ;-)?

Julie

twins are crazy about both these foods. They're pretty good eaters anyway, but these are their favorite foods, so it did work for me.

Yes, early introduction of foods helps establish a well rounded palate, but it's not entirely necessary. Case in point: my sister, who not only gets migraines from beef, wine, mushrooms, beans, and several other foods, is allergic to milk and milk products, chocolate and eggs. Of course, while pregnant with my niece, she ate none of those things.

At 22 months, my niece will eat almost anything, though her favorite foods seem to be chicken breast strips, cheese cubes, mandarin oranges, baby carrots, fresh button mushrooms and (when given the chance) peanut M&Ms. She is a fan of anything she can eat by herself.

Of course, my niece drinks soy milk primarily, but that has more to do with the fact that my sister doesn't think about liquid milk much, never having used it.

My mother was a sincere Mean and Potatoes man right up until the day of her death. She was a Scotch drinker too if that counts for anything.

I am an eating machine who will devour anything other than organ meat. Vegetables are mana to me but I don't recall ever seeing my mother eat anything green that wasn't on a burger in my life. I seriously doubt she was much different when pregnant. She certainly hadn't cozyed up to any bales of hay in later years when she had my youngest sister - another eating machine.

My guys by 7 & 5 were confirmed wasabi FREAKS. I was like, hey, children aren't supposed to like hot stuff and get your mitts off my sashimi!

with my older daughter.

Heinz Baby Foods (in Canada) used to sell Cod Casserole as one of it's Junior foods and she devoured it.

She won't eat chowder now (at 6) to save her life but as a toddler, she did.

I don't think the study is totally bogus.