The Mother's Mealtime Sacrifice: How Eating With Your Children Could Be Wrecking Your Health.

It’s the image of a perfect family: a mother sitting at the table, sharing a meal with her beloved children. But I am here to tell you that this cherished ritual could be a dangerous trap. It is a sacrifice, and what is being sacrificed is a mother’s own health.

Some mothers have asked me, "When I sit along with my child and eat, why should my food not get digested properly?" The answer is because, in that moment, you are not truly eating. You are managing. And this constant state of management is, from my perspective, quietly wrecking your digestive system and your overall wellbeing.

The Focus Drain: Why Her Food Becomes Poison

When a mother eats with her child, where is her attention? Is it on her own plate? On the taste and texture of her food? No. Her attention is a laser beam fixed on her child.

She is in a constant state of alert, guiding her child with an endless stream of corrections: "Do not talk while eating," "Sit properly and eat," "Do not spill the food." If a mother is looking after her child, or even feeding them while trying to eat her own food, a terrible imbalance occurs. The child eats well, but the mother’s food does not get digested properly. Her complete lack of focus on her own meal means her body does not get the right signals to do its job. The food sits in her stomach, undigested, becoming a source of trouble rather than nourishment.

It's Not Just One Mistake—It's Every Meal

This digestive sabotage isn't limited to just sitting at the table. I believe a mother should never eat while serving food to others. If she takes bites while ensuring everyone else is eating properly, her attention is on them, not on her own body, and her digestion will fail.

The danger is even more acute for mothers with infants. Eating with a baby on your lap while playing with them is not a proper way to eat. When a small child keeps coming near their mother, troubling her as she eats, she is constantly breaking her focus to control the child. Every time she does this, her digestive process grinds to a halt. Her food does not get digested properly. This isn't a one-time issue; for many mothers, this is the reality of every single meal.

My Uncompromising Solution to Reclaim Your Health

This cycle of self-neglect must be broken. My advice is direct and, for your health, non-negotiable.

All mothers should first serve food to their children and to every other member of the family. Your first job is to see that all of them eat satisfactorily. Once they are settled, you must go and sit alone to eat happily.

For all mothers with small babies, this is even more critical. You must leave your child under the care of someone else for the short time it takes to eat. Find a quiet space and focus your full and complete attention on the food you are putting into your body. This is not a selfish act. It is a fundamental act of self-preservation.

Your health is the foundation upon which your family stands. By taking these few sacred minutes to eat properly and mindfully, you ensure that your food becomes your medicine, not your poison. You are ending the mealtime sacrifice and choosing to nourish the nurturer—the most vital and loving choice a mother can make.