Maternal diet during early childhood, but not pregnancy, predicts diet quality and fruit and vegetable acceptance in offspring

Abstract

Studies have identified prenatal flavour exposure as a determinant of taste preferences in infants; however, these studies have focused on relatively small samples and limited flavours. As many parents struggle with getting children to accept a variety of nutritious foods, a study of the factors influencing food acceptance is warranted. The objective of this study was to determine whether exposure to a wider variety of fruit and vegetables and overall higher diet quality in utero results in acceptance of a greater variety of these foods and better diet quality for offspring during childhood. This study is a secondary data analysis of pregnant women (n = 52) and their resulting offspring recruited for the Women and Their Children's Health study in NSW, Australia. Dietary intake of mothers and children was measured using food frequency questionnaires. Diet quality and vegetable and fruit variety were calculated using the Australian Recommended Food Score and the Australian Child and Adolescent Recommended Food Score. Associations between maternal and child diet quality and variety were assessed using Pearson's correlations and the total effect of in utero maternal pregnancy diet on childhood diet was decomposed into direct and indirect effect using mediation analysis. Maternal pregnancy and post-natal diet were both correlated with child diet for overall diet quality and fruit and vegetable variety (P < 0.001). Mediation analyses showed that the indirect effect of maternal pregnancy diet on child diet was mediated through maternal post-natal diet, particularly for fruit (P = 0.045) and vegetables (P = 0.055). Nutrition intervention should therefore be aimed at improving diet quality and variety in mothers with young children, in order to subsequently improve eating habits of offspring.

Learning to like vegetables during breastfeeding: a randomized clinical trial of lactating mothers and infants

“…The current study builds on the evidence base that mammalian infants learn about the food environment in which they live and their mothers' diet during breastfeeding (13,14,39) and provides further evidence that there is a period during early life when the hedonic response to food flavors experienced in mother's milk can be enhanced. Infants whose mothers drank a variety of vegetable juices, including carrot juice, were more accepting of cereal that was flavored with carrot juice (as determined by intake and rate of feeding) than were infants in the control group whose mothers drank water and avoided intake of the same vegetables.…”

The importance of maternal diet quality during pregnancy on cognitive and behavioural outcomes in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Not surprisingly, maternal diet quality as well as maternal postnatal diet and child diet during infancy and early toddlerhood have been found to be highly correlated. 60–62 Therefore, it remains possible that the observed associations between maternal diet quality and child development are due to the child’s diet after pregnancy. Ultimately, the interpretation of the reported effect sizes depends on the assumed causal model.…”

Complementary Feeding Strategies to Facilitate Acceptance of Fruits and Vegetables: A Narrative Review of the Literature

“…Exclusive breastfeeding for at least three months is associated with a higher consumption of vegetables at four years [30]. In particular, it was shown that the maternal dietary variety (especially for the fruit and vegetable group) during early childhood, but not during pregnancy, predicted the acceptance of fruit and vegetables in children [31]. Thus, in addition to breastfeeding, the FV consumption by the mother may be important for enhancing FV acceptance in children.…”