They relate breastfeeding with a greater predisposition to eat vegetables

Breastfeeding is the first contact of many babies with food. Its nutrition in these beginnings in the world that brings you many benefits when it comes to preventing health problems like infections. Now, a new study emphasizes that these benefits for the little ones not only stay at this stage of their lives, but they are checked long-term.

A new study conducted by the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, and published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, stresses that breastfeeding causes children to have a greater predisposition to eat vegetables. One more benefit that adds to the already known of this practice that is the first contact of babies with food.


The diet of the mother

The authors based this theory on the fact that breastfeeding is a contact of the baby with them foods that the mother eats. In this sense, it should also be noted that it is important that women include vegetables in their usual diet. "The sensory experience of each baby is unique, but the taste of their first meal, starting with breastfeeding, depends on what the mother eats," explains Julie Mennella, leader of the study.

During this investigation they were distributed to 97 mothers in 5 groups. For a month, three of them drank half a cup of a drink created with carrots, celery, beets and other vegetables before breastfeeding. The first began when the babies were two weeks old, another one between a month and a month and a half, and the third one between two months and two and a half months of age.


A fourth group of mothers took this drink during three months, and they started when their babies were two weeks old. For its part, the fifth and last group did not drink anything. The objective was to check the reaction of children to the introduction of solid foods in their diet and the reaction to the offer of mothers.

The result showed that babies who had been exposed to flavors of vegetables in breast milk preferred carrot-flavored cereal instead of the usual. Only 8% percent rejected all foods. On the other hand, the children of the fifth group presented more problems when eating these products.


"Through these changes in the flavors, the mother teaches the baby that these foods are safe, that they are what they eat and that those flavors exist", explains Mennella about the results found. A learning that attends to repeated exposure and that favors the introduction of vegetables in the diet of children.

Get them to eat vegetables

The introduction of vegetables can become a very complicated issue since many children see in these foods something to avoid and opt for the consumption of other products. These are some tips to have success in this enterprise:

- No punishments. Sometimes the child with whom he or she behaves well is threatened or a meal will be exchanged for vegetables. This is a mistake because indirectly the child is being told that these dishes are a bad thing so someone with bad behavior should pass.

- Imagination in the kitchen. Eating vegetables is not synonymous with salad. These ingredients can be combined in many ways when cooking. Look for fun recipes that attract children, cook them with them and include these foods in your diet in this way.

- A carrot instead of chocolate. Instead of when the child is hungry mid-morning you will be given a snack like chips, you can give him a carrot to soothe this appetite.

- Do not let it pass. When the child grows and knows what he likes and what is not important, do not always give him what he wants. Although sometimes reject vegetables, they must remain present in their diet and not leave them aside in favor of other meals waiting for the child to accept them later.

- A unique dish. Unless the child has an allergy to some foods, the menu should be the same for everyone. If the rest of the family eats vegetables, he can not eat steaks because he does not want this dish. The child must understand that at the table only one dish is served for everyone and that he must eat it like the rest.

- Lead by example. The child can not be asked to eat vegetables if the parents leave it aside at every meal. From a very young age, the child should see how their references eat these foods and they do it in good taste.

Damián Montero

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