Thursday, November 24, 2011

Prenatal flavor learning and sweet potato cake

Flaxseed oatmeal crackers
Breakfast: Rolled oats with plums and flax seeds
Lunch: Lutefisk with tomato rice
Dinner: Pickled carrot salad, pea soup, flaxseed oatmeal crackers
Baking/sweets:

I have never celebrated Thanksgiving. As a matter of fact I didn’t know what it was until not so long ago. However the last couple of days I can feel that there is a public holiday coming up. And this is because of food blogs. Reading all those posts on Thanksgiving meals somehow programmed my mind into thinking there is a holiday coming up when in fact there is no holiday where I live. It feels very strange.

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you celebrating, and for the rest of us, lets eat well and be thankful every day of the year.


Today's Favourite Photo
Mini Sweet Potato Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Today’s Favourite Blog
Recent research shows that a mother’s food choice can shape a baby’s palate. The concept is called prenatal flavor learning. The flavor and odors of what mothers eat show up in the amniotic fluid, which is swallowed by the fetus, and in breast milk. There is evidence that fetal taste bud are mature by 13 to 15 weeks, with taste receptor cells appearing at 16 weeks. 

With flavor learning, a baby’s palate can be trained with repetitive exposure,” said Kim Trout, director of the nurse midwifery/women’s health nurse practitioner program at Georgetown University. Trout said she sees evidence in her own case. When she was pregnant with her daughter, she adhered to a strict nutritional plan that she taped to her refrigerator. Her daughter has a good diet and is a great cook, she said. Her son prefers fast food like chicken wings, the kind of foods Trout ate while working as an intern.

Whether or not the research findings are correct at least it will encourage good eating. 

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10 comments:

  1. That mini sweet potato cake look so gorgeous!

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  2. Apparently my dad fed my mum peanut butter sandwiches when she was pregnant. That could explain a lot. Wasn't very good after discovering later that mum's allergic to peanuts and wheat, though! :P

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  3. You know, I never considered the fact that SO many food bloggers talking about Thanksgiving would make others feel like there is a holiday coming up! Thanksgiving - here in America - is all about gratitude and celebrating the end of harvest....so it's about BOUNTY!

    Basically - it's a food holiday. It's all about the meal! Most folks have the same thing or a variation of the same thing...and we just love it!

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  4. hi three cookies.. thank God for all foodies we ate all of our lives.. your flaxseed oatmeal crackers and mini cheese frosted sweet potato cake looks really tempting for my taste buds.
    Amazing how Trout's 2 children's diet differ...
    Wis i knew this earlier . have a nice day

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  5. It's always about food, isn't it, whether it's a happy or sad occasion.
    Well, now I know my mum didn't eat any durians when she was pregnant with me. Happy Thanksgiving to you, even if you're not celebrating. Eat something and call it a celebration!

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  6. If I lived in America you can be I'd be celebrating Thanksgiving! I mean any excuse for food will do! :)

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  7. I also feel a bit weird with Thanksgiving which is not celebrated here. It's funny to see so many cranberry and turkey recipes:-)
    Flaxseed crackers look very tempting!
    I have heard once about studies concerning only garlic. Children were more open-minded and curious about food when their mothers had eaten garlic during the pregnancy or breast feeding (I don't remember).

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  8. That's one fabulous looking icing job on the sweet potato cake. And interesting about prenatal exposure to tastes...

    Even though you're not celebrating Thanksgiving, I must say I'm thankful for you and your blog which I enjoy visiting many times a week :)

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  9. Sonia: yes it does

    Jay: thanks for visiting

    Hannah: so the theory is correct:)

    Ann: it does though, and it felt strange, in a good way. A holiday dedicated to food, it must be good

    Wan: thank you. My diet and my brothers diet differs as well but I guess its due to choices we are making later in our life

    ping: (un)lucky for you your mum did not eat durian. But I guess you can always try to train your taste buds now! Happy Thanksgiving to you too

    Lorraine: exactly, any excuse to eat food is welcome I guess

    Sissi: and pumpkin recipes too! That’s interesting about garlic, I haven’t heard that. Lot of garlic in Spain, Asian countries etc, I wonder if it affects behavior. I am sure we will see studies done on this issue.

    Lizzy: thank you so much! Hope you had a wonderful time

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  10. that is very good to know! i hope my kids love to eat healthy too :)

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