Here’s a Convincing Reason to Avoid High-Fructose Corn Syrup During Pregnancy

Oh, that first bite of candy we all experience early in life—it feels like coming home for a reason. Chances are good that we’ve been hard-wired from the womb to love sweetness. And a new study shows just how delicately mom’s prenatal diet can affect baby in the long term.

A new study just presented at an annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine has revealed that consuming a high-fructose diet during pregnancy puts children at a higher risk for obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysfunction—and consequently, cardiovascular disease—later in life. See the full details of the study here.

A recent book by Bee Wilson called First Bite also discusses the relationship between children’s taste buds and the foods moms eat during pregnancy. According to the author, the flavors of mom’s favorite eats get infused into the amniotic fluid that the fetus lives in. That familiarity can make those tastes more appealing to the baby later on.

Want to predispose your child to a tendency towards healthier eating and a better chance to Thrive as adults? Consume a wide variety of vegetables and fruits yourself during pregnancy. And most importantly, kick that high-fructose corn syrup habit. Our sweetener alternative of choice? Raw honey.

What’s tougher—corn syrup might be lurking in some of your favorite snacks, cereals, jams, and desserts. Luckily, you can shop tons of goods that are totally free of high-fructose corn syrup right on Thrive Market.

Photo credit: Landahlauts via Flickr