They say no matter what we do we'll all turn into our parents. And while we're not sure if there's scientific proof that someday you'll love Elvis and John Wayne films, there is scientific proof that what you like to eat is heavily influenced by what your mom ate while you were in her womb. Researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center found that babies whose mothers eat a larger variety of foods while pregnant are open to a wider range of foods later in life.
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Researchers also found that food and taste preferences are largely developed during specific stages of infancy -- including before three and a half months of age. Babies who are exposed to more flavors during that age period are more likely to have more varied taste preferences throughout their lives.
"This early exposure leads to an imprinting-like phenomenon such that those flavors are not only preferred but they take on an emotional attachment," Gary Beauchamp, the director of the Monell Center told the New York Times.
And there's more bad news for pregnant women. Another recent study done the FoodPlus research center at the University of Adelaide in South Australia found that babies who's mothers eat junk food while pregnant are desensitized to sweets and fatty foods. That means these children have to eat more junk food in order to get the same "high" that other kids would get by eating less, putting them at a higher risk for obesity.
So now you have another reason to be passive aggressively mad at your parents during the holiday. You're welcome.
