I was always told to finish everything on my plate. Now as a mother, as difficult as this conditioning is to resist, I am making an effort to learn another way. Why? I firmly believe that we start out with good instincts around food and an ability to eat intuitively, and perhaps some of that is conditioned, influenced or punished out of us.
So, the research suggests we should think carefully before we force our child to “finish everything” on their plate. Did you know that a fat forming transformation in our eating habits takes place between the ages of three and five.(1)
Let’s consider the findings of some interesting studies done by Birch and Fisher (who did studies at the university of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, particularly interested in how mother’s feeding practices influence daughter’s eating and weight.) (2, 3)
Here’s what they found: At the age of 3, children will eat until they are full, regardless of serving size. By the age of 5, they will tend to eat what they are given, regardless of serving size.
Three year olds are unaffected by serving size, whether they were given a large bowl or a medium sized serving, they tended to eat the same amount of food. They ate until they were full and then they stopped. They left the rest on the plate.
By the time children are five year old however, they seem to be conditioned to eat whatever is put in front of them. If they were given bigger servings, they would eat them, even up to 26% more.
The same thing happens to adults. We will let the serving size influence how much we eat, regardless of when we feel full or stop feeling hungry.
It is important, to practice, eating until you are full, and then stopping. It is important to allow children to do the same. It is almost worth dishing up a smaller serve and allowing them to have seconds if necessary than encouraging a habit of overeating or conditioning them to finish everything on their plate.
References:
1.Wansink, B. (2007). Mindless Eating. Bantam Books: New York.
2. Birch, L. McPhee, L., Shoba, B., Steinberg, L., & Krehbiel, R. (2000). “Mother’s Child-Feeding Practices Influence Daughters’ Eating and Weight,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 71: 1054-61
3. Birch & Fisher et al.”Clean Up Your Plate: Effects of Child Feeding Practices on the Conditioning of Meal Size,” Learning and Motivation 18: 301-17
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