The baby diet
OK, maybe "lie" is a strong word. Let's go with "exaggerate" for the sake of the argument. Genevieve Shaw Brown, ABC News travel and lifestyle editor and mother of two, tried the toddler diet after admitting that she spent more time preparing delicious food for her kids than she did for herself.
She said, "And so I got to thinking about going on a baby — or more specifically — my baby's — diet. Three meals plus one snack each day. What would happen if I just ate exactly what I was feeding my 1-year-old? Larger portions, of course, and please hold the two bottles of almond milk per day that he drinks. But I'll keep my coffee."
Ultimately, Shaw lost two pounds in four days on what she calls the baby diet. She ate three square meals with snacks and stopped grazing all day long. She revealed that she was never hungry and had more energy, even with two kids underfoot.
A sample day of her baby-like eating looks a little something like this, "Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruit, and toast with hummus; Lunch: Couscous, and turkey and cheese mini wrap; Snack: Cheese and crackers; Dinner: Turkey, stuffing and green beans."
First, I think it is great that Shaw spends the time to make her kids all of these varied and delicious foods. I kind of want her to be my mother and come live in my house. But I think it's fair to say that the "baby diet" is a misnomer.
I'm all about diet and healthy eating, but what Shaw basically accomplished was balanced eating with portion control. For the rest of the mothers out there who also practice the toddler diet and nibble off their kids' plates because mealtimes are so hectic, we're likely to gain a few pounds by eating the extra chicken nuggets and grapes that fall on the floor. That's what a real toddler diet looks like.
Some of these baby diet tips are fantastic to help you slim down, like eating regular meals and snacks, practicing portion control and eating only when you are hungry. But moms of toddlers know what real toddler eating habits look like, and they probably don't make for great weight loss: Eat only white foods for three days straight, put up a fight about eating your vegetables and cry when you don't get pizza at every meal.
That sounds about right.
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