Parents are advised to encourage children to chat during meals to take the focus away from the food (Pixels)
The results of recent scientific studies indicate that teaching children to eat slowly may have a positive role in preventing obesity and weight gain problems in the future. On the other hand, children often tend to finish their meals quickly in order to catch up on the activities they enjoy.
The holy month is an opportunity for parents to teach their children to eat slowly, but why Ramadan specifically? What are the steps to be followed?
The child should be encouraged to chew each bite well (pixels).
Why should you eat slowly?
Clinical nutritionist Hanin Al-Salem said in her interview with Al-Jazeera Net: The fasting person eats large amounts of food and liquids during a short period of time during the month of Ramadan, “but eating slowly helps stimulate the good chewing process by turning the food into small pieces and ridding them of saliva.”
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The specialist points out that eating slowly “facilitates the digestion process, ensures better absorption of nutrients when they reach the stomach and intestines, and also reduces digestion problems such as: bloating, gas, constipation, and potential health problems such as high blood sugar levels after breakfast.”
She explains: “Eating slowly helps avoid overeating, as it gives the body time to send satiety signals (ghrelin, the hormone responsible for feeling full) to the brain. This means that you will feel full after eating smaller amounts of food, which helps in controlling weight within a month.” During Ramadan, eating slowly gives the fasting person a greater opportunity to taste and enjoy the meal.”
Haneen Al-Salem: Eating slowly gives the fasting person a greater opportunity to taste and enjoy breakfast (Al-Jazeera)
Al-Salem says: Parents must be role models for their children. “When a child sees his parents and those around him eating slowly during breakfast, he will adopt this habit as well.”
“During breakfast, one should be careful to engage in dialogue and interaction with the child, and ask questions about his day and what he likes to do, which can occupy his attention and help him eat slowly, while avoiding watching television or mobile phones while eating, because that leads to eating large quantities without Awareness,” according to Al-Salem.
The clinical nutritionist advises serving foods slowly and dividing the prepared dishes into stages. “The child should also be given enough time to eat his meal calmly without feeling pressured or rushed, while encouraging him to chew every bite well.”
She continues: “When starting breakfast, give the child a simple explanation about the importance of eating slowly and with concentration, and explain to him how this helps him feel full faster and maintains his health.”
Salam Ashour: Do not punish the child if he does not eat slowly, but rather reward him for his positive behavior (Al Jazeera)
Ramadan is an opportunity to educate children
For her part, psychologist Dr. Salam Ashour told Al Jazeera Net: “The month of Ramadan is a wonderful opportunity to teach young people many customs and values, the most important of which is how to eat slowly.”
Ashour points out the benefits of teaching a child to eat slowly, including:
Long-term
weight control .
Reducing the risk of chronic diseases
such as diabetes and heart disease.
Enhance concentration
and improve memory.
Ashour agrees with Al-Salem on the need for parents to be a good role model for the child, so they must eat food slowly in front of him, divide the food into small portions, and drink water in sufficient quantities to help him feel full.
Using cutlery correctly also helps control the speed of eating, and stories and games can be used to teach the child how to eat slowly.
Ashour provides advice that she stresses the importance of taking into consideration, including:
Do not force the child to finish everything on his plate:
The child can leave out what he does not want to eat.
Do not compare the child to others:
the child should only be compared to himself.
Do not punish the child if he does not eat slowly:
rather, you should reward the child for his positive behavior.
When a child sees his parents and those around him eating slowly during breakfast, he will also adopt this habit (Pixels)
Baby and eat slowly
Finally, the Pelamis Organic website published a set of tips on how to help a child eat slowly, including:
Make sure you enjoy and focus on meals on the table, wherever possible without any additional distractions via TV or mobile devices.
Encourage conversation during meals to take the focus away from the food.
Ask your child to count the number of times he chews each bite, and aim to start with a small number of chews, for example 3-5 chews per bite, then gradually increase to 10 chews per bite.
Allow time between each bite and encourage drinking water throughout the meal.
Ideally a meal for a child 10 years old or younger should take at least 15-20 minutes.
Source: Al Jazeera + websites