Why babies are smarter when it comes to eating

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Posted on Sat, Sep. 03, 2005

Why babies are smarter when it comes to eating

By Deardorff

Chicago Tribune

1/83/8

Babies are impressively disciplined eaters. When their stomachs

growl, they demand food. When they're satisfied, they stop. Force

the issue and they swat away the offering with annoyance.

But before long, most of us lose touch with what " full " should feel

like. We eat for reasons other than hunger. We're so busy

multitasking that we miss our body's cues to stop. And the weight

piles on.

British researchers think they've found a new solution to the

perpetual problem of insatiability, one they believe also could help

stem the world's swelling obesity epidemic. All we need to do is

trick the brain into thinking we've had dinner before actually

eating.

The scientists achieved this fake feeling of fullness by injecting a

naturally occurring hormone, called oxyntomodulin, into the small

intestine 30 minutes before each meal. (Down the road, the delivery

method could be a less intrusive nasal spray.)

The jab artificially boosts the body's existing levels of

oxyntomodulin, which tells the brain the body has had enough to eat,

according to the study published in the August issue of Diabetes. In

the four-week trial, volunteers lost an average of 5 pounds.

A tiny, desperate part of the population needs serious help

controlling their food intake. Like gastric bypass surgery, these

new weight-loss injections (used with a healthy diet and exercise)

could be a drastic, last-ditch solution for the morbidly obese.

But for most people, the hormone injections likely would be a

colossal waste of money, time, energy and hope, just like the

current appetite suppressants on the market. Weight-loss drugs don't

work in the long run and can pose serious health risks.

Most of us don't need a pill or injection to fool our bodies into

feeling full. We just need to eat the right foods in the right way.

And we need to listen to what our bodies tell us.

To start down the road to satiety, choose foods that are high in

protein and fiber, said Hannah El-Amin, a clinical dietitian at

Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill. " Fiber swells in

the stomach to create a greater sensation of fullness. That's what a

lot of people are missing when they eat junk, " said El-Amin, who

also stresses the importance of eating a balance of carbohydrates,

proteins and fats at every meal.

Tofu, tempeh, fish and lean meat are all high-protein selections.

High-fiber foods include whole grains, which slow digestion and give

longer satisfaction after a meal. Other satiety-inducing foods

include potatoes, brown rice and pasta, oatmeal, oranges, apples,

baked beans and grapes, according to the European Journal of

Clinical Nutrition.

S-L-O-W down. It takes 20 minutes for the brain to register

fullness, enough time to pack in three servings.

" Put down your fork after every bite, take your hand off of it and

only pick it up again after you've swallowed the last bite, "

suggested Giancoli, a Los Angeles nutrition consultant.

Load up on whole fruits and vegetables.

" Double the veggies in your stir fry, add veggies to pasta dinner,

throw tomato slices, cucumber, bell pepper, mushrooms on your

sandwich, add apples, mangoes or pears to your green salad, " said

Giancoli, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

" Not only are fruits and veggies high in fiber that increases

fullness, but they are high in water content, " which helps make you

feel full, she said. " They are also larger compared to low water-

content foods, so it feels like we are eating more. "

Wait for a hunger pang. Babies know when to start or stop eating

because they're in tune with their bodies and don't have as much on

their plate. Busy adults are overloaded with external stimuli.

" We eat more based on appetite - the visual appeal of food - rather

than hunger or the physiological feeling we need food, " said

Marjorie Livingston, who teaches nutrition at the Culinary Institute

of America in New York. " Most of us never get to that point of

feeling like we need to eat. "

Use non-food strategies. Turn off the television during a meal.

Exercise daily to regulate satiety in the hypothalamus, the part of

the brain that controls appetite. Use smaller plates. And stay

hydrated by drinking five to six glasses of water a day, suggested

Lalita Kaul, a nutritionist at University Medical School and

an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman.

Still eating too much? Try the most popular infant eating strategy:

Smear your dinner on your hands, face and hair or fling it to the

floor, one piece at a time.