Opting Out Of The Clean Plate Club
As a parent, I’ve been guilty in the past of encouraging my kids to participate in the “clean plate club.” This is when we convince our children to eat everything we put on their plate. Now research is showing us that by doing this, we may be encouraging our kids to overeat.
Researchers interviewed the mothers of 63 preschoolers to determine the extent to which they ask (tell) their children to clean their plates at meals. The researchers then allowed the children to decide how many Fruit Loops they would like during their morning snack at daycare. Children who were told to clean their plates at meals generally requested larger portions of Fruit Loops at snack time. Boys were especially prone to request more.
The take home message here is to empower our children to make healthy food choices on their own. Begin by offering appropriate portions for your kids. Too often we try to overfeed our kids. Kids who are active and growing shouldn’t need to count calories, but we also need to make sure we are offering them healthy foods. Encourage unlimited amounts of vegetables and fruits. When it comes to starches, teach kids about portion sizes. A normal serving of cereal, for example, is just ¾ cup. A serving of bread is 1 slice.
Here are some good tips from the American Diabetes Association to help your children identify healthy portions. Remember, this also holds true for adults:
- A 1/2 cup serving of canned fruit, vegetables, or potatoes looks like half a tennis ball sitting on your plate
- 3 ounces of meat, fish, or chicken is about the size of a deck of playing cards or the palm of your hand
- A 1 ounce serving of cheese is about the size of your thumb
- A 1 cup serving of milk, yogurt, or fresh greens is about the size of your fist
- 1 teaspoon of oil is about the size of your thumb tip
This is actually a fun way to involve children in the planning of meals. In fact, getting children involved in making dinner or any meal, will help empower them to make healthy choices. As a contributor to the meal they can really see what goes into preparation and it makes for a great time to discuss different ingredients and portions.
I’m opting out of the “Clean Plate Club” and opting in the “Listen to Your Body Club.” This doesn’t mean allowing your kids not to touch their dinner and then go for a huge bowl of cereal immediately after you leave the table. This does mean allowing your kids to decide when they’ve had enough. If after dinner they complain of being hungry you can remind them that they left a lot of food on their plate (and offer that to them) or offer a small piece of fruit or vegetable.
March 23, 2010
by Optimum WellnessComments
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