Ever wonder why you tend to go for certain foods over others? Some of us would rather have spicy foods, sweet, salty, bitter, high protein, or high fat. We hardly give it any thought as to why we as individuals or even families go for certain food choices. When we do think about our food choices we relay it back to “Well that is just how we eat in my family”.
What is fascinating to know is our food preferences are actually being set during fetal development and right after birth while breast feeding. This is where it all begins. As we get older we can become more accustomed to other foods the more it is introduced to us but our taste for certain flavors start much sooner than we realize.
It has been found that around 21 weeks of pregnancy the developing baby can start tasting the amniotic fluid when it is swallowed. Each time the mother eats or drinks something the amniotic fluid’s flavor changes. For example, if you ate garlic and balsamic glazed Brussels sprouts your baby will also be able to taste it within a few hours after you ate it. The same thing happens with breast milk.
This makes sense, right? This is how foods of our culture are first introduced to us. When it is time to start eating solids we are already more familiar with these flavors and are therefore more likely to eat them.
As we strive to do our best to give our children the best foundation to a long healthy life it is good to know that we can direct their way of eating to more healthy foods right from the start.
If you ate plenty of vegetables while pregnant and breastfeeding, do not be surprised if your baby still makes faces of disapproval. On the plus side, you may notice that they are still more willing to eat vegetables you consistently ate while pregnant and breastfeeding over newer vegetables.
When our babies or children do not want to eat certain foods we are often advised to mask the flavor. This is not a bad idea; however this will not help them to accept this food or the flavor either. I get it; we would rather have them eat the food somehow than not at all. Don’t give up! Try cooking it differently with other spices. If they are old enough ask them how they would like to try it and see if they are more accepting then.
To read the research behind this go to:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1351272/
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/08/139033757/babys-palate-and-food-memories-shaped-before-birth