Mom's diet during pregnancy

Parents have enormous influence over what their children eat.  In the early years, children eat only what they are given.  As time goes on, they begin to make their own food choices; largely shaped by parents.  It turns out that the influence (specifically from mom) may begin much earlier than initially thought.

Children may actually have their flavors sculpted while still inside the womb!   This is an idea that has been spread through folklore from one generation to the next.  But a new study in Current Diabetes Reports seems to confirm this idea.

The concept is called "prenatal flavor learning."  The study found that:

"the flavors of the foods in the maternal diet are found in the amniotic fluid swallowed by the fetus, with the fetus developing a preference for those flavors that is shown to persist in infancy."

In other words, the baby could taste what Mom tasted and preferred those tastes even as an infant.  I especially appreciate another line from the authors,

"This is an empowering concept for a pregnant woman."

It shows that developing a child's taste for healthy foods begins with Mom when she is pregnant.  It certainly continues after birth as the parents model healthy eating and behavior.

Mom's healthy pregnancy diet has a dual benefit.  It provides bountiful nourishment to the developing child and programs his/her taste buds to continue that healthy trend after birth.