Healthlines: We are what our moms ate

A mother’s eating habits can have a critical effect on the health of her child for life. The early days of a baby developing in the womb are critical. At a time when vital organs are being created the newborn needs to find in the mother’s blood supply all the vital nutrients as building blocks to build the very best organs. These first days are critical and set the pattern for the long-term health of the child as was studied recently at Southampton University. It found that diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer can be traced back to conditions in the womb. Therefore a young woman’s diet is critical in mapping out the health of her children and of society and the wider community. This Southampton University study found that the chances of getting diabetes and heart disease can be determined by events that happened in the womb. This is an important critical time that you cannot undo.  Studies also found that good nutrition up to the age of 2 years has a lifelong legacy in the health of the person. If we accept this research then we must accept that your chances getting diseases are decided while you were still in the womb and there is nothing you can do about it. But it is not as simple as that: For example, if you received poor nutrients when your liver was forming it may not be as strong as someone else’s liver. Your liver may not be able to tolerate the abuse that another person’s liver —  who had better conditions when their vital organs were forming — would. So it follows that the stronger body you were born with the more your body can tolerate during your life. We must also take into account that some diseases do run in families and are to do with our genes; and there are also environmental factors to consider. Today we tend to blame adults for getting sick due to bad habits; but based upon this research some people may be more vulnerable to disease than others to start with. Nutritionally deprived in the womb individuals maybe more vulnerable to diseases than others. It is strange how older generations with had bad habits lived to a very old age. My father-in-law smoked for many years and still lived to be 96 but his body was obviously very strong from the beginning and very resilient to the bad effects of smoking. A study in Amsterdam showed that large numbers of babies born during the war after a period of famine suffered from heart disease in their 50s. To put it simply, to grow a healthy baby your body needs a good supply of healthy resources in the same way a plant grows better in good soil. This is an important message for young women to take care of their health before and during pregnancy, and beyond. A womb’s role is so important to the health of generations to come so it is vital that women educate themselves and their families on healthy eating and take time to learn to cook.  Being healthy and eating a healthy diet is very important for young women and girls; after all, the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world! Healthy recipe Ratatouille Serves 4, quick and easy to prepare. Total cooking time 35 minutes. Ingredients -    4 tbsp. olive oil -    2 medium onions, quartered -    2 cloves garlic crushed -    1 red pepper, sliced -    1 yellow pepper, sliced -    2 large eggplant halved horizontally then sliced into 3 cm pieces -    3 medium zucchinis sliced into 3cm pieces -    2 cans of chopped tomatoes -    small bunch basil, leaves torn -    slices of bread, to serve  with nice cheese Method -    Heat oil in a large casserole dish and sweat the onions and garlic for 10 minutes on a low heat with the lid on. -    Add the peppers, eggplants and zucchinis. Season with salt and pepper, stir and cook for a further 20 minutes with the lid on. -    Pour in the chopped tomatoes, stir and check the seasoning. Cook for a further 5 minutes without the lid. Stir in the basil. -    Serve with chunky slices of sourdough or bread and cheese. Ask Alva I am just pregnant and wondering how much coffee is healthy as I need my coffee. — Maya Pregnant women should have no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day. One mug of instant coffee contains around 100 mg of caffeine.