Clean your plate club !

I found this article while reading the numerous blogs I peruse. It came from Weighty Matters.Thought you might find it interesting:

Mindless Eating's and USDA's Brian Wansink, one of my favourite researchers, has released some preliminary results from a study he's been working on.

He's been looking at kids who belong to the so-called Clean Your Plate Club and has found that preschool aged members ate 35% more fruit loops than non-club members when given an unlimited portion.35% more is a lot! Think maybe the Clean Your Plate Club might play a role in childhood obesity?

The study will be published down the road in the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

His advice?Same as mine. If your kids aren't cleaning their plates perhaps you ought to be offering them smaller portions, or better yet - ensure your child tastes all the foods you offer and then allow them to determine how much they want.

Disband the Clean Your Plate Club!!!

Here is my response as posted on Obesity Help Tennessee:

When Beth had surgery last year, things changed around our house. We all started eating smaller portions, the plate size we ate on changed, and the type of food we ate changed. I honestly believe this is what caused RJ and I to lose weight on our own!

Since then,I had surgery, so all of the above stayed true for me. Things changed! But they also changed for RJ. His plate size went up, the amount of food we gave him increased, and so did his belt size.

We are guilty of being overseers of the "Clean Plate Club". Not on purpose mind you, but guilty! When we would make plates for dinner, Beth and I would have RNY size portions of the meal on a salad plate. RJ would have "Hungry Man" size portions of the same meal. Even though we were eating healthier, he was eating heftier!

Then the dreaded question always came..."What are we having for dessert"? Unfortunately, our response was always the same, "It does not matter what we are having for dessert, you have to clean your plate before you can have any"!

What the H**L was going on in my mind? Clean you plate! So, RJ would force down all the food on his monster size portion of a meal, just to make room for dessert. Thus increasing his weight, pant size and girth! We would rationalize how we felt by saying something like, "It's OK, he plays football".

Since then, we have made some adjustments to our lifestyle. RJ eats on the same size plate as us. He receives the same size portion as us. But, he always has the option for more if he wants it. Most times, he's happy with what he receives the first time around. So, we are still members of the "Clean Your Plate Club". It's just a salad plate instead of a monster size plate!