030426 ~ The Hidden Costs of Convenience - Shanthi Appelo

Teaching kids to eat with intention, not distraction.

I think we could all learn a lesson from this.

I'm Lucy Ann Lance, and it's time for A Health Air Michigan

from our friends at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

We welcome Blue Cross's registered dietitian

and health and wellness spokesperson,

Shanti Apollo back to 1290 WLBY.

Shanti, seriously, when I sit down to eat,

there's nothing mindful about it.

So you can say that this is for kids today,

but I'm going to be paying attention.

Good.

I mean, we can all learn from this

and the benefits that we see in children.

We can see in adults as well.

And I think one of the great things

about teaching this early during childhood

is that sets kids up to have a better relationship with food

and just be more mindful as they grow up.

So really what we do during childhood

is going to set them up for success later.

So describe what mindful eating really is.

Yeah, well, it's associated with a lot of benefits.

Understanding when you're full.

I can have with weight management, better digestion

and that healthy relationship with food that I mentioned.

Kids are basically noticing what the food looks like,

smells like, tastes like, they're slowing down

and chewing slowly, they're savoring the flavors

and then kind of acknowledging

how that food feels in the body.

And so that leads you to you noticing when you're full

and satisfied.

And so it picks our brain about 20 minutes

to recognize that it's full.

Some it's like, finally, hey, I'm good.

We don't need to keep eating.

And so that's some of the practices

that we learn when we mindfully eat.

That's the problem telling the brain to stop, right?

I mean, it doesn't matter how full I feel

if my brain is still saying eat, eat, eat.

For some reason, that's what I'm gonna do.

And when you're not mindful about that

and watching for some of the signals

that your belly is giving you, that you're full,

you that hand's going into that bag of popcorn

or whatever it is you're munching on.

And it's not stopping because you're not thinking about it,

right?

Right.

And there's part of this that's genetic, right?

It can be trickier for some people to stop over others.

But when we learn these practices during childhood

to listen to our body when it's full,

we're way more likely to carry it into adulthood.

And that kind of leads me to talk a little bit

about what happens with screens

because, you know, I think kids are distracted

by screens now more than ever.

And so eating in front of screens

can lead to larger portion sizes.

And this goes for adults too,

binge eating, anxiety,

and basically just eating more ultra processed calorie

dense foods.

And of course, we know that that can lead

to chronic health conditions.

Well, when I think back to growing up in the 60s and 70s,

we were not allowed to watch television

while we were eating.

Eating was a sacred time around the table

with family.

So it's easier to say we're not going to have the TV on.

Little harder when everyone's got their own

little device, right?

That they bring to the table.

I love those families that do the little basket

and the middle of the table.

And that's where you put your phone and put it away.

But I think as adults, we're very guilty of it.

And that really comes into why we should be demonstrating,

right?

So one of the best things that parents can do

is demonstrate putting away their own screens,

their own distractions, and really being present for the meal.

And something else that I think families can do together

is just take a few deep breaths before the meal,

and just encourage everyone to focus on the moment

and express gratitude for the meal.

For some people that may be prayer, for some people,

that may just be an expression of gratitude

and of itself, right?

And then talking about the food, what do the kids see?

What do they smell?

What do they taste?

And learning them to really get in tune with it

and then, of course, kind of eating slowly.

I think sometimes kids, when they're at the table,

they want to eat and then they want to ask if they can be excuse

so they can go play or whatever the next activity is

and so just encouraging that time.

Should we be making meal time fun time as well?

Obviously, an educational one by explaining

what they're eating, et cetera.

But are there little tips and tricks you have

to engaging kids in the meal as opposed

to everything going on around them?

For sure.

I think a lot of it is going to happen

before the meal and even after the meal.

So just giving them age-appropriate tasks, right?

Whether that's setting the table, putting things away

or being involved in the meal preparation,

can teach them cooking skills

and then just a good love for food, right?

And then if you want to do a little bit

of a longer-term project like planting and burning,

growing fruits and vegetables, herbs,

tend to be a little bit easier

and maybe won't be as difficult of a task,

but really involving them and growing these foods

can help increase their appreciation

and really be excitement for the healthy foods

because that's really what we want.

Sometimes these healthy foods are not as exciting

as the ultra-processed food ones

that are like fun animal shapes, right?

Well, and think about it.

When you do learn about the specifics of foods

or the type of spices that go into it

or how to discern one taste from another,

you're more likely to want to learn more about it

and to eat that or try it or start cooking with it.

I think kids who start cooking do so

because they have been introduced

to different ways of eating and things

that they didn't know before.

And so now they're exploring.

Now this is a lot of fun.

And I think that is really intentional too

on the part of parents to involve kids into the meal.

Yeah, definitely.

And I think we hear a lot about learning

how to cook later in high school,

even college in some cases,

but setting the foundation for a lot of these things,

just learning how to chop something, right?

It can be a really great foundation

and it starts early.

Sean Theopolo is a registered dietician

and health and wellness spokesperson

at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

And today on our A Healthier Michigan

from Blue Cross, we're talking about teaching kids

to eat with intention and not distraction.

This happens to be national nutrition month.

So perfect timing for this.

What is a final piece of advice you have

when it comes to helping kids do this

and to be more considered about meal time?

Yeah, I think it's not about perfection, right?

It's understandable that we're gonna have things

going on in our lives, whether it's practices after school.

And so practicing this mindful eating,

sure it can happen anywhere.

It could happen in the car if that's the last resort,

but I think prioritizing other meals

if you don't have the time for it.

So for example, sitting down at breakfast

or making weekends,

a lot more centered around these family meals

where you can practice this is a good idea.

And for more information,

our listeners can go online to

ahealthiermichigan.org,

that's ahealthiermichigan.org.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan puts that together.

Shanty, thank you so much.

Really exciting to think about our food

a little bit differently.

Whether you're a kid or an adult,

I think we all have to be more mindful.

So we appreciate your segment today.

Shanty, Apollo, Registered Dietitian Health

and Wellness Spokesperson at Blue Cross Blue Shield

of Michigan.

On the Lucian Lance Show,

Ann Arbor's Talk Station, 1290 WLBY.