Mothers play a unique role in the nutritional lives of children. As far back as pregnancy, what a mom eats affects the growth and development of the baby. The period “First 1,000 Days” includes the time of pregnancy, and at this stage, a pregnant mother can already nourish her baby for it to reach its full developmental potential.
Foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and omega-3s for brain development are all essential. At around 13 to 15 weeks of gestation, the fetus begins to develop taste buds. The baby can then taste what the mother is eating as it comes through the amniotic fluid.
Research has shown that babies are more accepting of certain flavors after birth if the mother had eaten them while pregnant. This is important as this shows that mothers can influence the health and preferences of a child, and train them to eat healthy food.
My mom always talks about the different foods that she ate and craved when she was pregnant with me, and I found myself doing the same with my kids. With my first, I was very conscious of eating lots of broccoli, salmon, and always craved eating steak for some reason. This and the occasional craving for baked potatoes and tacos are what shaped my first pregnancy.
With my second, I had to force-feed myself healthy food; eating vegetables was a difficult task, especially when all I wanted to eat were sweets. In my last trimester, I could be found eating chocolate eclairs, which my daughter now happens to love. Both my kids eat very well and love their vegetables, but I can definitely see the sweet tooth that I had in pregnancy more prevalent in my second child.
It’s important that moms surround their kids with healthy food choices and present vegetables and unprocessed food in an interesting way, especially while they’re young.
My mom used to use cups to shape our rice into volcanoes that would be filled with sauce containing lots of vegetables. She encouraged our baking and would have us around when she cooked. I have distinct memories of watching her chop up vegetables for whatever she was making.
There were certain special dishes that she made that will forever remind me of her. Her Mexican chicken rice was something my sister and I really enjoyed, not realizing that it was packed with vegetables and beans that I would grow up to love.
Creating dishes in your children’s early years leaves a lasting imprint on them, and whether we realize it or not, they will find comfort in flavors that remind them of mom.
Mom’s Mexican Rice
My mom served this with fried chicken on top, but this can easily be replaced by the viand of your choice. This is also great as a stand-alone dish.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped onion
3 cups cooked white or red rice
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 cup corn kernels
1 cup beans, any kind
salt and pepper, to taste
Procedure
- In a pan, heat a little oil. Stir-fry the garlic and onion until they are transparent.
- Mix in the rice.
- Slowly add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and tomatoes. Stir until tomatoes are tender.
- Mix in the corn and beans. Add salt and pepper to taste.