EAT FOR TWO

STUDY SUGGESTS MUM'S DIET HELPS SHAPE THEIR UNBORN CHILD'S TASTES.

- BY CAMILLA FOSTER

RESEARCH suggests there is a link between what mothers eat and their babies' food preferences after birth.

The recent study indicates mothers hoping to encourage their toddlers to eat more vegetables should consume these foods during the later stages of pregnancy.

This follows another study which found that newborns responded positively to the scents of kale or carrot if they had been exposed to them in the womb.

The research, led by Durham University, observed the facial expressions of 32 babies at 32 and 36 weeks, as well as three weeks after birth. These babies' mothers had regularly taken either kale or carrot capsules.

Professor Nadja Reissland, an expert in foetal and neonatal research and lead author on this study, said: "Our analysis of the babies' facial expressions suggests they appear to react more favourably towards the smell of foods their mothers ate during the last months of pregnancy.

"Potentially this means we could encourage babies to react more positively towards green vegetables, for example, by exposing them to these foods during pregnancy."