CLAIM:
A mother’s eating habits during pregnancy can shape her child’s future food preferences. Foods frequently consumed by the mother while pregnant, such as mangoes or chocolates, may “imprint” on the child in the womb, leading them to like the same foods later in life.
FACT:
Research shows that flavours from foods eaten during pregnancy can pass into the amniotic fluid, allowing babies to experience them before birth and potentially increasing their acceptance of those flavours during infancy. However, studies do not support the idea that a mother’s pregnancy diet permanently determines a child’s favourite foods or long-term taste preferences.
In a viral reel posted by digital creator Divya Jain, a conversation about pregnancy diet and children’s food preferences has drawn widespread attention online. In the clip, she is seen speaking with nutritionist Ryan Fernando about how a mother’s eating habits during pregnancy might influence what her child likes to eat later in life.
In the reel, Fernando discusses the importance of balanced nutrition during pregnancy and refers to his experience designing diet plans for expectant mothers, including actor Anushka Sharma. He explains that pregnant women do not necessarily need to “eat for two,” adding that calorie intake should be carefully calculated rather than drastically increased.
Speaking about food preferences, Fernando suggests that certain signals may begin developing in the womb. “There is research saying that mothers who overeat in pregnancy, the signalling of the child in the DNA says that I am eating this thing,” he says. He adds that this may explain why some children develop liking for foods their mothers frequently consumed while pregnant.
Fernando further describes this as a form of prenatal “imprinting,” suggesting that maternal diet may influence a child’s later preferences.
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Do children love foods their mothers ate during pregnancy?
Current research suggests that while babies can experience flavours before birth, this does not necessarily mean they will permanently prefer those foods later in life.
Flavours from foods consumed by the mother can pass into the amniotic fluid, exposing the fetus to different tastes during pregnancy. Some studies indicate that this early exposure may influence infants’ reactions to similar flavours during weaning, but scientists say the evidence does not support the idea that maternal diet permanently determines a child’s favourite foods.
One of the most widely cited experiments on this topic is a 2001 study that examined whether prenatal exposure to flavours could influence infants’ food responses. In the study, pregnant women who planned to breastfeed were divided into three groups. Some drank 300 mL of carrot juice four days a week during the last trimester, others drank carrot juice during lactation, while a control group consumed only water during both pregnancy and lactation.
The infants were later observed while eating cereal prepared either with water or carrot juice. Researchers reported that infants exposed to carrot flavour earlier behaved differently compared with those who had not been exposed.
“The results demonstrated that the infants who had exposure to the flavour of carrots in either amniotic fluid or breast milk behaved differently in response to that flavour in a food base than did nonexposed control infants,” the study noted.
Specifically, infants previously exposed to carrot flavour showed fewer negative facial expressions when eating carrot-flavoured cereal than when eating plain cereal. Their mothers also perceived them as enjoying the carrot-flavoured cereal more. However, differences in the amount of cereal consumed and feeding duration were not statistically significant.
The researchers concluded that “prenatal and early postnatal exposure to a flavour enhanced the infants’ enjoyment of that flavour in solid foods during weaning,” suggesting that early flavour experiences may help shape later food acceptance.
More recent evidence broadly supports the idea that flavour exposure can occur before birth, though it emphasises that the effect is limited. A 2019 systematic review analysing studies published between 1980 and 2017 found that flavours from foods consumed during pregnancy can transfer to the amniotic fluid.
“Limited but consistent evidence indicates that flavours (alcohol, anise, carrot, garlic) originating from the maternal diet during pregnancy can transfer to and flavour amniotic fluid, and fetal flavour exposure increases acceptance of similarly flavoured foods when re-exposed during infancy and potentially childhood,” the review reported.
The review also found moderate evidence that flavours from maternal diet during breastfeeding can pass into breast milk, allowing infants to detect these flavours within hours or days of consumption. However, researchers cautioned that these findings should not be interpreted too broadly.
“Findings may not generalise to all foods and beverages. Conclusions cannot be drawn to describe the relationship between mothers’ diet during either pregnancy or lactation and children's overall dietary intake,” the authors noted.
Similar conclusions have been highlighted in reviews published on the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database, which report that flavours such as carrot, garlic, alcohol and anise have been detected in amniotic fluid after maternal consumption. Exposure in the womb may increase infants’ acceptance of those flavours later, but researchers emphasise that current evidence is not sufficient to conclude that maternal diet determines children’s overall dietary habits or long-term food preferences.
In short, babies can experience flavours before birth, and early exposure may influence how they respond to certain foods during infancy. However, scientists say there is no strong evidence that a mother’s pregnancy diet permanently shapes a child’s taste preferences.
This story is done in collaboration with First Check, which is the health journalism vertical of DataLEADS