My 3-year-old has an impressive food palette. He'll try most foods, and will often eat any vegetable. Cooked greens, like kale or collards, may be the exception, and I like to believe that's a texture thing, because the kid can grub on other strong flavored veggies, like asparagus.
I always thought it was because I gave him these greenies in pureed (read: extra disgusting) form as a baby.
Turns out, breastfeeding may have helped. Especially my own diet while nursing.
Researchers from the University of Coppenhagen performed a small study in which they had mothers take capsules containing a variety of flavors. Some flavors, like bananas, showed up sooner. Others were a surprise; licorice didn't show up quite so soon. The Telegraph reports:
Tests showed that tastes transferred temporarily to the breast milk, but had disappeared again within eight hours....
Helene Hausner, who led the study, said: "It's not like if the mother eats apple pie the baby thinks 'mmmm, apple pie', but it may make them more accepting of the flavour of other foods."
Researchers think that this breastmilk/diet relationship could affect a child's food preferences. Strong flavors seems to come to the nursee easier, such as garlic, spices, and fruits.
Chocolate, too? Will Baby E have a strong preference for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream, too? Well, whether breastfed or not, wouldn't anyone?
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