Jerry the Blogger

Sometimes when eating the right foods just seems way too complicated or difficult, take a good look at how kids eat. You might just learn a simpler, more nutritious way of consuming food.

I realized this after observing my 3-year-old daughter's eating patterns and choices for a while. When she transitioned into all solid "grownup" foods, I would get rather anxious about how she ate. She never seemed to eat enough -- or at least, what looked like "enough" to me. She picked little bites here and there, and at any given meal she left a good deal of food on her plate. (Perhaps this was a sign we had oversized portions?)

She also showed a strong preference for whole foods, such as grapes, bell peppers, chicken or yogurt. Fancy sauces, dressings and spices turned her off -- she is a girl of simple taste. When we tried to give her too many flavors or choices in one meal, she was overwhelmed and just refused to eat.

Not surprisingly, she does have a sweet tooth, as many kids do. Cake, candy, cookies, ice cream -- she loves all of the goodies most commonly served at birthday parties. But the difference between her and me is she can enjoy just a few bites of a sweet treat and be quite
satisfied. She doesn't need a second helping of cake or all the cookies left in the jar.

The best lesson I've learned from my daughter's eating habits is only eating when you feel hungry. Sure, it can be frustrating to watch her turn her nose up at a nice lunch I've prepared, only to hear her say she's hungry an hour later and wonder what there is to eat. I often find myself tempted to chow down merely because it's "time to eat," even if I really don't feel hungry at the time. What if I waited until I felt hungry to eat, and only ate just enough to feel full enough to keep playing? I have a feeling I'd have a lot less trouble maintaining a healthy weight.

Meanwhile, my daughter isn't skinny or starving, though she seemingly eats like a bird. Her weight is just average for her age group. And the pediatrician says she's healthy as can be. So I guess eating like a kid (or my kid, anyway) can have its health benefits.

Since my son was born two months ago, I've spent a lot more time than usual being awake at night.

You see, babies can't go as long as adults without feeding, so the little guy naturally wakes up every few hours to eat. Unfortunately, when I'm up along with him to give him those bottles, I tend to get hungry, too. So I'll munch on a little something to keep my stomach from rumbling -- but some new research shows this late-night snacking could lead to excess pounds.

Eating at night is fine if you're a nocturnal creature, like the mice in this study. But when another group of mice ate the same number of calories during the daytime, they gained more than twice the weight. This does not bode well for me. No wonder my pants have been fitting a little tighter recently!

I've heard before that evening snacks aren't good for you, but this is the first time scientists have proven it so dramatically. Now I'd like to know why I only crave bad-for-you foods when I'm up at night. I'm sure there would be no harm in a midnight celery attack, but a pint of ice cream is a different story.

What's the dad of a newborn to do? I guess I need to make even more certain I eat a healthy but filling dinner in the evening. And maybe if I drink a full glass of water while my son drinks his bottle, I can stave off those cravings. Or at least keep some celery at the ready.