An experiment by julie mennella and coworkers (2001) involved pregnant women who drank carrot juice during the last trimester of pregnancy but water (not carrot juice) during the first two months of lactation; drank water (not carrot juice) during the last trimester but carrot juice during the first two months of lactation; or drank water (not carrot juice) during the last trimester and first two months of lactation. when subsequently offered carrot-flavored cereal, the infants

background.  flavors from the mother’s diet during pregnancy are transmitted to amniotic fluid and swallowed by the fetus. consequently, the types of food eaten by women during pregnancy and, hence, the flavor principles of their culture may be experienced by the infants before their first exposure to solid foods. some of these same flavors will later be experienced by infants in breast milk, a liquid that, like amniotic fluid, comprises flavors that directly reflect the foods, spices, and beverages eaten by the mother. the present study tested the hypothesis that experience with a flavor in amniotic fluid or breast milk modifies the infants’ acceptance and enjoyment of similarly flavored foods at weaning.

methods.  pregnant women who planned on breast-feeding their infants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups. the women consumed either 300 ml of carrot juice or water for 4 days per week for 3 consecutive weeks during the last trimester of pregnancy and then again during the first 2 months of lactation. the mothers in 1 group drank carrot juice during pregnancy and water during lactation; mothers in a second group drank water during pregnancy and carrot juice during lactation, whereas those in the control group drank water during both pregnancy and lactation. approximately 4 weeks after the mothers began complementing their infants’ diet with cereal and before the infants had ever been fed foods or juices containing the flavor of carrots, the infants were videotaped as they fed, in counterbalanced order, cereal prepared with water during 1 test session and cereal prepared with carrot juice during another. immediately after each session, the mothers rated their infants’ enjoyment of the food on a 9-point scale.

very