Eating in the right order

I mentioned yesterday that a fellow bandit had advised me to eat proteins first, veggies next and carbohydrates last. At the time I couldn't understand the logic behind this. Since then, however, I've mulled it over a bit and figured it out! My pouch, created by the band, has a volume about the size of a golf ball, or a couple of tablespoons of food. This is not large enough to take even a small meal. Therefore I have to eat very slowly to allow time for the food to pass through into my main stomach. If I eat too fast the pouch will get full too quickly and this leads to pain, indigestion and the like. However, towards the end of a meal, obviously I don't want all of the food to pass through - I want some of it to stick around for a while to give me a sensation of feeling full, or at least satisfied.

Now, in the handbook given to me by my provider, they recommend that I finish off a 'soft' meal (i.e. one made up of slider foods) with some crunchy vegetables or a piece of fruit. The thing about eating a meal in the right order follows a similar logic: Proteins should be eaten first for two reasons. First, proteins are more likely to contain fat than other elements of the meal. Foods containing fat have a greater tendency to turn into mush once chewed and tend to pass through the band more easily (I was told this by my doctor). Eating proteins first means that the pouch will empty relatively quickly leaving space for the food that follows. Second, we need to ensure that we consume enough proteins since these foods provide essential minerals and vitamins and also help to give a 'full' feeling. Therefore, eating these first means that if we get too full to finish the meal, we will have eaten the most important part of already.

Veggies should be eaten next because they can be cooked lightly so that they are still quite crunchy. Veggies will then stay in the pouch for longer and give us that 'full' feeling we seek. The idea behind the carbs being eaten last is because they are sometimes regarded as the least essential foods in terms of minerals and vitamins, and are relatively high in calories. The thinking is, that if we get too full to finish the meal, it will be the least essential carbs that are left.

Now, the advice about eating in the right order was given to me by an American lady. This is important because the Americans have a slightly different position to us Brits on the question of proteins and carbs. There is a much greater emphasis in the USA on bandits consuming high amounts of proteins and very little carbohydrate. This was brought home to me when I purchased an American gastric band recipe book a while ago - none of the meals has any carbohydrates in (e.g. potato, rice, couscous, pasta etc) and there is an enormous focus on proteins. In Britain, on the other hand, we are advised to eat a balanced diet. My provider recommends a meal is made up of one quarter carbs, one quarter proteins and half vegetables.

The result is, that while I see the logic behind eating in the 'right' order, I don't necesarily agree with it! It seems to me to be a good idea to consume proteins first to make sure they get eaten. It also seems to me to be a good idea to follow the advice of my own provider and finish off a meal with crunchy vegetables to give a full feeling. However, I think carbs are actually important - for energy, for instance, so would eat these before the veggies. If I thought I was getting full enough that I wouldn't be able to finish off the meal I would simply eat smaller portions of each part of it, rather than leaving out one whole element of the meal completely.

While I won't be following the American lady's advice in its entirety, I am at least happy that I understand the logic behind it now. Funny thing, this band, you almost need a degree in anatomy and nutrition to get the most out if it!!