Getting children to eat their vegetables starts in the womb, researchers suggest

"Researchers have discovered that young children are less likely to react negatively to the smell of vegetables that they were repeatedly exposed to before birth. The implications could be huge. Prof Nadja Reissland of Durham University, the study's lead author, said a consequence would be that you have a healthier population."

"Researchers gave some pregnant women kale powder capsules and others were given carrot powder capsules. They then examined and coded the facial reactions of their child to carrot or kale. This was first done before the baby was born, using ultrasound, then repeated when they were about three weeks old. Most recently, 12 children were observed age three."

"The images of a child exposed to carrots reacting positively to the smell of a cotton swab dipped in carrot and grimacing at the smell of kale speaks volumes. The reaction of the children exposed to kale was similar they were happy to smell kale but not carrot. A foetus being exposed to kale at 32 weeks. Photograph: Durham University A foetus being exposed to carrot at 32 weeks. Photograph: Durham University"

"Reissland said the same patterns were repeated before birth, at three weeks and at three years. What we see over time is that the children are still more favourable to vegetables they were exposed to while they were in the womb. From this we can suggest that being exposed to a particular flavour in late pregnancy can result in long-lasting flavour or odour memory in children, potentially shaping their food preferences years after birth."

Parents often struggle to get children to eat vegetables. A study found that young children react less negatively to vegetable odours they were repeatedly exposed to before birth. Pregnant women received kale powder capsules or carrot powder capsules. Facial reactions to carrot or kale odours were recorded using cotton swabs dipped in the relevant vegetable flavour. Observations occurred before birth with ultrasound, again at about three weeks old, and later when children were around three years old. Children showed more favourable responses to the vegetable flavour they had been exposed to in late pregnancy, with repeated patterns across time. Prenatal flavour exposure may create long-lasting odour memory that influences food preferences years later.

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