Veggie Eating Begins in WombDec 7, LONDON, ENGLAND (CHRONICLE HERALD) — Being raised vegetarian starts before birth.
Women can give their children a lifelong taste for healthy foods simply by eating them during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, researchers have found. "Flavors from the mother's diet are transmitted through amniotic fluid and mother's milk. A baby learns to like a food's taste when the mother eats that food on a regular basis," said Julie Mennella of Monell Chemical Senses Center, a research institute in Philadelphia.
The technique can work for a variety of vegetables. In one experiment, Mennella gave carrot juice to a group of pregnant women and to a separate group of breastfeeding women. Their babies were subsequently far keener on carrots than those born to women who had not been given carrot juice. A similar experiment with fruit showed that babies whose mothers ate raw peaches while breastfeeding were far more willing to accept them in their own food.
