She said there was a tendency for weaning babies to be given sweeter foods, such as mashed carrot, pears or bananas, but babies exposed to more bitter greens might develop a taste for healthy, more bitter greens if the mother ate them in pregnancy.
She said: “Our analysis of the babies’ facial expressions suggests that they appear to react more favourably towards the smell of foods their mothers ate during the last months of pregnancy.
This study of 32 babies from the north-east of England followed up a 2022 research paper where 4D ultrasound scans showed foetuses smiling when their mothers ingested carrots and grimacing when exposed to kale.
Research co-lead author Dr Beyza Ustun-Elayan said: “Our research showed that foetuses can not only sense and distinguish different flavours in the womb but also start learning and establish memory for certain flavours if exposed to them repeatedly.
The research, led by Durham University, studied the facial expressions of three-week-old babies whose mothers had regularly taken either kale or carrot powder.
