How eating like your child could help your path to weight loss

 MADISON (WKOW) — If you’re looking to shed a few pounds for your New Year’s resolution, you may not have to look farther than your kids. 

The Baby Diet, as it’s called, has members of the nutrition community talking.  You’re not eating baby food, just mimicking your children’s eating habits, from what’s on their plate to the amount of times they’re eating meals and snacks. 

Margaret Wertheim is a registered dietitian nutritionist in Madison.  She says she would encourage patients to follow some foods in their kids’ diets.  “If you can be introducing fruits and vegetables, simple foods like soft cooked meats, eggs, things like that for protein, both eating those kinds of things, then [the Baby Diet] could be beneficial,” says Wertheim.

She acknowledges, however, not all kids have such sophisticated tastes.  “It can be that kids can be picky, and they want noodles or just really starchy foods and cheese, and it’s not very balanced. So as an adult we’re not getting all the nutrients that we need, but it can also lead to potentially to weight gain as well,” says Wertheim. 

Wertheim says a beneficial part of the Baby Diet would be to follow your natural hunger and fullness instincts, like children do.  “It’s really helpful for adults to really get back in tune with am I actually hungry? Am I satisfied? And just stop eating when we’re satisfied, regardless of how much food is on our plates,” she says. 

How eating like your child could help your path to weight loss