The ‘Clean your plate’ method: And Why you shouldn’t use it
Clean your plate. Something most of us heard frequently at the dinner table as a child.
It is a common practice in society for parents and childcare centers to force their children to consume everything on their plate during mealtimes, with the ultimate goal of combating picky eating. However, did you know that this practice may actually be detrimental to that child’s long-term relationship with food? There is now an abundance of research available that suggests that following this method may in-fact be directly associated with that child’s eating behaviors and potentially have long-lasting negative impacts on their relationship that they have with food. Why? Forcing children to ‘clean their plate’ often times results in your child overeating just to simply finish their plate, rather than listening and respecting their own hunger cues.
Current literature suggests that when children experience controlled feeding practices they often times may lose their ability to honor their own hunger cues, to stop eating when they are full, and essentially develop a permanent mindset that they will forever have to ‘clean their plate’… even into adulthood. Over time, these children may begin to gravitate towards sugary foods, have issues with being overweight, struggle with body image, and potentially develop chronic illness.
It is imperative that children learn how to regulate their own food intake, and to respect their own hunger cues. By avoiding the ‘clean your plate’ method (and using food as a reward) you are increasing the chances of your child developing a healthier relationship with food later into adolescence, as well as into their adulthood. Children should be taught to eat when they are hungry and to stop when they are full, they should have freedom around their foods… rather than viewing food as a form of punishment and/or reward.
Childhood eating disorder prevalence is on the rise… and the ‘clean your plate’ method isn’t helping this statistic. One of the steps that we can take as a society to help combat childhood eating disorder prevalence is to do our best to try to stop controlling what (and how much) our children eat. Adopting a ‘food freedom’ mindset in your home will likely improve the chances that your child will honor their own hunger cues, eat when they are hungry, and stop when they are full. They will also be less likely to use food as a form of punishment and/or reward.
When implementing a ‘food freedom’ approach in your household it is imperative that there be a wide-variety of nutrient-dense wholesome food options for your child to choose from. It is also essential to act as a role model and lead by example when it comes to eating…as there is a significant amount of research available supporting the fact that children adopt a lot of the same habits and behaviors that their parents and/or caregivers do.
Modeling healthy eating habits in front of children during their adolescence is essential to their overall health, development, and well-being. What are some steps that can be taken to do this? Practicing mindful eating rather than mindless eating. Shown below are steps that you can take to accomplish this.
Steps that you can take to model mindful eating in your household:
Listen to your body and honor your hunger cues. Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.
Try to have an abundance of nutrient-dense/wholesome foods readily available in your home for your children to eat… fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, beans/legumes, etc.
Be mindful of portion sizes during mealtimes(the MyPlate Method is a great method to follow to ensure that you are consuming well-balanced meals with adequate portion sizes).
Try to consume small-frequent meals rather than 1-2 large/heavy meals.
Recognize the nutrients that each food provides… this will encourage you to appreciate the food that you are eating as it is nourishing your body.
Sit down at the table for family meals. This limits distractions and encourages mindful eating habits. Puts the focus on nourishing yourself/your family rather than potentially overeating because you are distracted by the television that is on in the corner of the room.
Eat slowly, chew thoroughly.
Stay hydrated.
Be in-tune with your emotions and recognize the impact that your emotional state may have on your eating.
Be grateful for your meal. Be conscious of the nutrition that it is providing to your body.
It is time that we ditch the ‘clean your plate method’ and instead try to adopt food freedom habits in our households. By doing this we can help to break the cycle of binge eating, ultimately decreasing the prevalence of disordered eating in children (as well as in adulthood). As an alternative to using food as a form of punishment and/or reward, the food freedom mindset essentially takes the emphasis off of the food and allows us to practice mindful eating habits within our households.
Let’s ditch the ‘clean your plate’ method.