Does food taken during pregnancy influence the color of the baby?
Recently I came across a YouTube video stating some foods that can be taken during pregnancy to get a fair child even when the parents are dark-colored. I was surprised to see the views for that particular video. I have also come across many YouTube comments asking if there are any medicines to get a fair baby. We are in the 21st century and I can’t believe that still there is a huge group of people who think that food taken during pregnancy determines the color of the baby. Is it true? Not at all!
Common myths revolving around this
- Having white colored foods like milk, eggs, etc. can give you a fairer baby
- Having dark-colored foods like iron supplements, dates, etc. can make the skin of the baby dark colored
- Having a huge amount of Saffron/Orange can make the child fairer
The above are simply myths and not backed by any scientific evidence.
The real facts
We have learned in school at a young age that our appearance, skin color, and physical features all come from our parents/grandparents, more correctly it is determined by genes.
As you may know, a baby is formed when a sperm(from male) meets an egg(from female) and forms a zygote through the process of fertilization. The zygote will have 23 chromosomes each from the sperm and the egg. These chromosomes contain the genes which are going to decide your baby’s gender, skin color, other physical characteristics like hair color, hair structure (curly or straight), etc. In short, a baby’s color, gender, etc. are already decided on the day of fertilization and growth takes place accordingly. This means, no food or medicine is going to help in changing the gender or changing the color of the baby.
Once a baby gets delivered, the skin color varies depending on other factors like exposure to sunlight and UV radiation at a later stage.
Should I have more Saffron & stop taking my iron supplement?
While a small amount of Saffron has health benefits(in the next article I have included the benefits and side effects of Saffron)taking too much of it for getting a fair child may not be advisable as it can have other complications.
Also if you are not taking iron supplements prescribed by your doctor thinking that the child may go dark-colored, it can cause other health issues in the child. Always remember that Iron is very important for blood production or Hemoglobin production which is very important in transferring oxygen in your blood to other tissues. During pregnancy, you need twice the amount of iron and this iron is important in supplying blood and oxygen to the baby to ensure the proper working of all the vital parts in the baby.
Why do I have dark-colored skin when my parents are fair-skinned?
Your color is not just solely decided by your parents. Remember that both your parents are composed of genes from your grandparents, so sometimes your grandparents’ color or physical characteristics can affect yours. Sometimes you may also find similarities in physical appearance with your parents’ siblings or your cousins. Exposure to UV radiation can also affect your color.
Let’s prioritize the child’s health first!
You may get advice from your relatives or others to eat a lot of saffron and stop taking Iron tablets to get a fair baby, but always prioritize the health of your child first, not color or gender.
When it comes to pregnancy don’t take advice from other people(who are not doctors) or YouTube videos and take decisions. Always consult with your doctor before doing anything new (I have included some of the things that are to be taken care of during the pregnancy planning phase and pregnancy stage in my previous article ‘Pre-pregnancy and Early Pregnancy Period’).
Let’s stop thinking that we need a fair child/dark colored child or a boy or a girl child. Also please remember that changing color or gender is not in our hands but still we can do many things to ensure that we get a healthy child! Yes, Let’s change our attitude and pray for a healthy child!
