Eating mindfully is one of the easiest ways to ensure you and your bub tune into your hunger and satiety cues. This helps to reduce the risk of overweight and obesity later in life and is a simple strategy to help with postpartum weight loss. Here’s three simple strategies you can put in place to help you and your bub eat mindfully.

1. Eat without distractions. This includes removing your mobile phone,
tablet, TV, toys and all other electronic devices from meal times.
Removing all distractions allows you and your bub to focus your entire
attention on your meal including the different tastes, textures, smells and
colours. Removing all distractions also means you’re less likely to overeat
making it a useful strategy to help with postpartum weight loss.

2. Eat slowly. Eating slowly gives you enough time to comprehend feelings
of fullness meaning you’re less likely to overeat. It takes 20 minutes for
your brain to register the contents of your stomach which is why slowing
down at meal times is so important. To help you achieve this, pop your
cutlery down between each mouthful and chew your food well. To
encourage your little one to eat slowly, offer a variety of finger foods and allow
them to explore the different tastes and textures of each food at their own
pace.

3. Stop eating when you’re full. It’s so important that your little one learns to self
regulate their food intake as this helps to set up healthy appetite control.
To help them achieve this, watch and respond to signs of fullness
including closing their mouth and turning their head away. To help you
achieve this, stop eating when you’re 80% full and allow yourself enough
time to register feelings of fullness (this takes 20 minutes).

 

Author: Liesl Doehring
Nutritionist/Personal Trainer/Naturopath/Lecturer