So… Recently, Dutch media like NOS reported that children as young as 13 can now get a gastric bypass if they’ve “tried everything” and nothing worked. That sentence alone made me question everything.
Because what does “tried everything” actually mean?
Tried every diet? Every medication? Every bit of hospital advice?
Or have we really looked at the child’s body on a deeper level?
Have we even asked the right questions?
When someone says “everything’s been tried,” I always want to ask, what kind of everything?
Were there any functional or orthomolecular tests done to understand how that child’s body is really functioning?
Things like an OAT test to see how their mitochondria are working,
a stool test to check gut inflammation, or a micronutrient panel to measure what nutrients are actually being absorbed.
Because if the mitochondria cannot produce energy, if the gut is overloaded with inflammation, or if the cells are starving for nutrients, how could any diet possibly work? This is where functional nutrition matters. It is not about calories. It is about understanding how the body communicates and what it needs to function.
Before anyone reaches for surgery, I always wonder if the child has ever had someone really take care of every meal for a while. Not a short-term diet, not calorie counting, but real, intentional nourishment.
Imagine six weeks where every meal is prepared with purpose.
Balanced protein, real fats, minerals, omega-3s, and colorful vegetables.
No processed shortcuts, no confusion. Just steady, supportive food that feeds both the body and the mind. So often, children have never felt what it is like to have stable energy, calm digestion, and mental focus that comes from nutrient balance.
That is not “trying everything.” That is the beginning.
So what actually happens after surgery? That’s something that is rarely discussed.
A gastric bypass is not the end of the journey. It is the start of a lifelong one.
After surgery, nutrient absorption changes completely. The stomach becomes smaller, food bypasses parts of the small intestine, and the ability to absorb vitamins and minerals drops drastically. This means the person must take supplements for life, often high-dose B12, iron, calcium, vitamin D, zinc, and more.
If these nutrients are not managed properly, the consequences can be serious:
- Muscle loss and weakness
- Hair loss and brittle nails
- Fatigue, low mood, and neurological problems from B-vitamin deficiencies
- Weakened bones and hormonal imbalance
- Ongoing gut issues or bacterial overgrowth due to altered digestion
So yes, the number on the scale might change, but the effort around nutrition becomes even greater.
It is not freedom from food. It is lifelong responsibility for precise nutrition.
That is why it feels heartbreaking to imagine a 13-year-old facing that level of responsibility before they even understand how their body works.
I am not against medical innovation, and I understand the desperation families feel when a child is suffering. But when the solution permanently changes the digestive system without first teaching the body how to function properly, it is not healing. It is survival management.
We are skipping the part that matters most, the educational part, the empowerment part and being able to take ownership and control of your OWN body.
What “trying everything” should really mean
Trying everything should mean we have taken the time to understand what is blocking the body from healing.
That we have looked at inflammation, digestion, hormones, sleep, stress, and nutrient absorption.
That we have given food a real chance to do its job. When the body gets what it needs, it often finds balance again.
And when it does not, that is when we keep investigating, not cutting away the system that is trying to speak to us.
Maybe it is wise to stop saying these kids have “tried everything.” Maybe it is time we start asking why their bodies are struggling in the first place.
Because real healing does not come from bypassing the body. It comes from understanding it.
If this made you stop and think, you’re already on your way to taking back control.
That’s the OrthoFoodie lifestyle, baby!