Feeding behavior is a complex trait dedicated to the regulation of food intake in order to meet the physiological needs of the body. A strict regulation at the physiological level is maintained by the central nervous system which controls the energy homeostasis and peripheral organs involved in food intake, and energy storage and expenditure. Nonetheless, eating, to a large extent, is influenced by social and emotional cues which are largely dependent on the socio-economic context and the familial environment. It is now admitted that the early environment plays a major role in the establishment of feeding behavior both at the physiological and psychological levels. Among environmental parameters, early nutrition, including maternal nutrition before and during pregnancy and during lactation, and infant nutrition during the first months and years of life are essential for a normal fetal development and for an optimal setting up of the complex physiological interactions that will drive food intake regulation throughout the life course. In the last few decades, evidence has been accumulating from both human cohort studies and experimental animal models that shed light on several biological mechanisms underlying this early influence. Important technological advances have allowed the identification of physiological and molecular mechanisms by which early experience, as early as during fetal life, may have long-term influence but may be reversible in a precise time-window. Knowledge in the field of nutritional programming is progressing but faces difficulties associated with the high complexity and interaction between many parameters belonging to various fields spanning physiology, metabolism,and also psychology and sociology.