new concept: prenatal flavor learning

           This article is about the new(er) concept of "prenatal flavor learning". It's the idea that women who are pregnant have some power to control their babies food preferences to some extent. Obvious there are other reasons why children prefer certain foods besides the fact that that food is what their mother ate while they were pregnant, but it can effect certain things. The article says that if a pregnant mother eats a variety of healthy food while they are pregnant, the baby will be exposed to certain "tastes" of the amniotic fluid they have in the womb. Yes some people think its sort of gross, but this new theory could help reduce childhood obesity and encourage healthier eating. A baby that is only on 13 to 15 weeks old in its mother's stomach develops taste bud and by 16 weeks has taste bud receptors! So, research shows that the food tastes that babies are exposed to in the womb may make them more desirable when they are born. Personally, I think its a cool concept. I mean, even if it doesn't work 100% guarantee that if a mother eats broccoli when they are pregnant that their kid is going to love broccoli more than cookies- but its a chance to maximize your child's health I think mother's should take.
            The author, Lena H. Sun, uses a lot of ethos in her article. She introduces a lot of doctors and specialists that have experienced the concept first hand. She paraphrases some of their findings and always includes "Trout said" or "research shows" (Sun). It can get repetitive but the reader knows that it's not just the writers opinion, its the findings from a reliable source. It's even present in the title of the article, "A mother’s food choice can shape baby’s palate, research shows". The authors purpose was clearly to inform the general audience about this new idea and she is extensive in her explanation. I think the audience group that this was aimed at, and that would be most interested in the article, would obviously be pregnant mother's or women who are thinking about having children. The author even includes some tips from the doctors on what foods to eat while they are pregnant. Although the material itself was relatively dry, I found it interesting and I think its has many positive outcomes. Eating healthy can't really hurt anyone anyways? And as Sun says, "
Just another reason to go heavier on the greens this Thanksgiving." (Sun 21).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-mothers-food-choice-can-shape-babys-palate-research-shows/2011/11/17/gIQAqcYooN_story.html

inShare