Don't call it "morning sickness." It's "evolutionary wellness insurance." That's right, that cold-sweat rush of nausea that leads many expectant moms to barf into the nearest sink, garbage, or purse, has finally been proven to be an advantageous adaption to the varied diet of the human being. Triggers? Alcohol, smoke, meat, and strong-tasting vegetables--stuff that may be harmful to the fetus. The suspect stuff gets purged out of the body before it can mess with the developing child. The study, by two evolutionary biologists working out of Cornell, found that morning sickness is unheard of in cultures with bland, plant-based diets. Which brings us to the question: Can morning sickness be avoided by limiting one's diet? When you were pregnant, what foods triggered an attack?
The AP reports findings of a correlation between the diet of a pregnant woman and the sex of her child. Apparently, women with poorer diets--in the study involved, they were breakfast-skippers--were more likely to have girls.
