As times change, we hope for education to improve as well as life overall. When I was growing up, I remember my mom telling me “you can’t leave the table until you finish your food!”. In my mom’s mind, she was doing something good for me, she was feeding me so that I grew up healthy.
A mistake, even when it is not done with a malicious intent, is a mistake nonetheless. A few years ago, I was having dinner with my now fiancé, and I noticed he was eating because there was food still left on his plate. I then asked, “are you satisfied?” and he said, “yes, but I can eat more”. I told him “you know, it’s ok not to be full”. For some reason that was a big realization for him. While he was growing up, his mom also told him the same thing my mom told me “you cannot go play unless you finish your food”.
A clean plate is not going to raise healthier children. A clean plate will raise children that eat more than they should. When eating at home, we have an option of serving less food. We choose our plate and we choose how much food to put on our plate. However, most of us will not take the time to weigh out our protein and starch before serving our plate. Simply eyeing it might not always be enough as looks can be deceiving. Amazon has these awesome plates for portion control, you can find them by following this link: La Boos Square Portion Control Plates
When we eat out, as we all know, most restaurants will serve oversized portions, often with cheaper items such as starchy sides to fill you up. One good tip I learned from one of my professors was to ask for a to-go box as soon as I get my meal. I have adopted this tip and before I even start eating, I put away half of my food. I cannot begin to tell you how useful this tip is. Also, as an added tip, when I order a salad (which I don’t do often but do as I say not as I do lol), I always ask for the dressing on the side. I then dip the fork in the dressing, tap off excess and stick for in the salad, this is known as “The salad dressing form method”.
Last but not least, there is a lot of information out there about intuitive eating and mindful eating. I will be writing a separate blog on that. But I do have to say that listening to your body is a must. As you eat, enjoy your food. Savor each bite. This is something that I myself often forget to do. And when I do, I don’t have enough time. I often find myself rushing through my food (perhaps because all my jobs, current and past, only provide a 30-minute lunch). Instead of just swallowing that food without even biting it, pause in between bites and see if you are satisfied. If you are, put the food away and when you feel hungry again, eat again.
I am not a parent, but I hope that one day when I become one, I can make better decisions for my children. I love my parents and I respect the decisions they took and I am extremely grateful for raising me and helping to shape me into the person I am today. With that said, that does not mean that I cannot learn from their mistakes and improve. Each person on this planet makes an impact on each other. As we spread knowledge, we can help to advance society so that we become better every day.
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