Mothers who want their babies to eat fruits and vegetables when they're older can start by eating those foods when they breast-feed, researchers say.

They should also be sure to mix in produce as babies move into solid foods.

"Vegetable and fruit consumption is linked to lower risks of obesity and certain cancers," said author Julie A. Mennella. "The best predictor of how much fruits and vegetables children eat is whether they like the tastes of these foods. If we can get babies to learn to like these tastes, we can get them off to an early start of healthy eating."

Mennella and a co-author studied 45 infants, 20 of whom were breast-fed. The infants, who were between the ages of 4 and 8 months and unaccustomed to eating solids other than cereal, were randomly assigned to one of two groups.

One group was fed green beans for eight consecutive days; the other was given green beans and then peaches over the same period.

The results showed the babies whose mothers regularly ate those foods were more likely to accept them during weaning. For example, they ate more and for a longer time when first trying peaches.

"It's a beautiful system," said Mennella. "Flavors from the mother's diet are transmitted through amniotic fluid and mother's milk. So, a baby learns to like a food's taste when the mother eats that food on a regular basis."

The researchers also found that babies' facial expressions did not always match their willingness to continue feeding, noting that infants innately display facial expressions of distaste to certain flavors.

They urge caregivers to provide their infants with repeated opportunities to taste fruits and vegetables, focusing on the infant's willingness to eat the food instead of on their negative facial expressions.

The work is published in the December 2007 issue of the journal Pediatrics.