Four things we can learn from watching kids eat

I recently came across an article online titled ‘5 Things We Can Learn About How to Eat by Watching Kids’. Interestingly, four of the five tips are topics I often discuss with my clients undergoing weight loss surgery. The five tips were as follows:

1. Be picky - only eat your favourites

2. Slow things down

3. Keep it simple

4. Eat with your hands

5. Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full.

Whilst eating with your hands is one I tend to skip, the other four tips are very relevant.

1. Be picky - only eat your favourites

Have you found yourself scouring the supermarket for the perfect fat free, sugar free but still deliciously tasty chocolate? Dark chocolate of course, so it still provides all the antioxidants. How did that search go? I’m guessing you’re still searching.

There is no substitute for the real thing and that is not only true of chocolate, but a whole range of foods.

After weight loss surgery you have less space to fill with food, so it makes sense to fill it with food you enjoy. Sure, you need to make sure you are eating a balanced range of foods to get all the nutrients you need, but you should be doing this with food that is pleasurable.

Tania, a gastric bypass client puts it very simply: “I do what the French do, I eat everything I want, but I eat in small portions."

2. Slow things down

Eating too quickly and not chewing foods properly are both problematic after weight loss surgery. Many of you would have learnt very quickly what happens when you eat too quickly – discomfort, pain and possibly regurgitation.

Have you ever told your child to hurry up when they are eating? Well perhaps they are the ones that have it right. I’m currently feeding a nine month old baby. I happened to watch the clock last night as she ate. Dinner took us about 20 minutes. Perhaps these children are on to something!

It should take up to 20 minutes to eat a small meal. If there is food left on your plate after this time, discard it.

Concentrate while you are eating. Sit up straight and avoid slouching. Set aside time for meals and avoid doing other things whilst you are eating. Put simply, slow down.

3. Keep it simple

Many clients of mine will have heard me say that there is 21 meals in a week, so they don’t all have to be perfect.

Do you need to serve meat and three different coloured vegetables every night? No. Do you need to cook a full roast meal every Sunday? No. Do you need to know exactly how many grams of carbohydrate you eat each day? No.

Sure, you need to ensure you eat a balanced range of foods and your dietitian can guide you with that. But if you can’t be bothered cooking is there a problem with throwing a tin of tuna and some pre washed salad leaves in a wrap for dinner? No.

Keep a supply of simple foods on hand that you enjoy for those times when you just need to throw something together. Here are a few of my favourite staples I keep on hand to throw together a whole array of meals:

4. Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full.

Have you noticed that a child can eat almost all of a sandwich, pushing away the last two mouthfuls announcing that they are full? Our instinct is often to tell them to finish what is on the plate, remind them of the starving children in Africa, but is this doing more harm than good?

Children have an innate ability to interpret their hunger and satiety signals, but we often encourage them to override this. What does this teach the child? To eat whether you are hungry or not.

I have spoken to hundreds of people undergoing weight loss surgery and many were told to finish the plate, or were not allowed to leave the table until they were finished their meal. Many have also said that they have felt truly hungry for some time.

To successfully manage our weight we must be able to interpret the hunger and satiety signals our body gives us. (Satiety is the feeling of satisfaction after eating.) No matter how healthy food is, too much of it is not good for us.

Do you need to spend some time following surgery re‐learning how to listen to your body’s signals? Perhaps you need to watch a child eat and follow their lead.