Research has revealed that fetuses in the womb grimaced when their mothers ate kale but smiled after they ate carrots.
The research observed healthy fetuses of 100 women between the ages of 18 and 40 years who were between 32 and 36 weeks pregnant in northeast England.
For the study - which was published in the Sage Journals - researchers gave 35 women the equivalent of one medium-sized carrot while 34 women depleted the equivalent of 100 grams of chopped kale.
The mothers were also advised to not ingest any food or flavored drinks one hour before their scans, as well as not eat or drink anything containing carrot or kale on the day to make sure it would not affect the results.
Check out the pictures below:According to the study, after about 20 minutes, the 4D ultrasound images displayed facial reactions from the fetuses depending on what they were fed.
The fetuses that consumed the carrot seemingly appeared to be beaming while those exposed to kale looked to be frowning.
Nadja Reissland, a co-author of the study and head of the Fetal and Neonatal Research Lab at Durham University said, per NBC News, "We are the first ones who could actually show on an ultrasound scan the facial expressions in relation to the food which the mother has just consumed."
In addition, Reissland stated that she hopes that the new study could help our "understanding of how exposure to flavors in the womb affects eating habits later in life".
A similar study from 2001 also found that infants who were exposed to the flavor of carrots via amniotic fluid or breast milk exhibited fewer negative facial expressions in carrot-flavored cereal than infants who hadn’t had those exposures.
The researcher also shared that the ultrasound pictures show reactions similar to children or adults who eat something bitter, but it's not indicated whether they experience emotions or dislikes in the same manner.
The scowls in the ultrasounds "might be just the muscle movements which are reacting to a bitter flavor," Reissland suggested.
Dr. Daniel Robinson, an associate professor of neonatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine said that exposure to diverse nourishments in the first few months of life "can help with willingness or acceptance of foods later in infancy," per Today news.
Robinson, who wasn’t involved in the new research, added: "Diet during pregnancy is really important and influential on the health of not just the developing fetus, but the future for that child."