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The Clean Plate Club
I make no apologies for stealing Paul McKenna’s phrase The ‘Clean Plate’ Club … I took my NLP training with Paul McKenna and Richard Bandler … wonderful both ….
Its a great phrase and many of us relate to it from childhood … we were taught it was ‘rude’ to leave food on the plate and that is why we had to ‘scoff’ the lot. Of course our parents thought they were doing the right thing, as their aim was to get some decent nutrients into their kids and keep everyone healthy. After all don’t parents always do the best they can with the tools they have at the time? I feel sure of it!
I’ll bet most of us have been threatened with ‘the starving children in Africa’ line (ouch!) and how wasteful we were being when there were children in the world who would be more than grateful, and the guilt piled up (just like my plate later in life) it all went into the mix.
Of course our folks did the best they knew how … but it doesn’t have to continue like that does it?
There is no physical way that we can transport any wasted food – from the plate – to any starving people anywhere – instead we might like to explore what’s happening a bit nearer home … how about inside the home. We know that children need boundaries and here are a few tips, although by no means extensive:
- It makes sense not to eat before mealtimes, such as nibbling while prepping food, so that we are genuinely hungry when the meal is ready
- Sitting around a table and having conversation, enables accountability
- Conversation is great, breaking bread with others is one of life’s pleasures and every opportunity should be taken to make some time in the day to do it
- It also takes the pressure away from what’s on the plate, for example, the healthy bits that we’re convinced we don’t like, such as vegetables. By talking about the day it’ll take the big deal out of meal times, encouraging us to eat less consciously (like we need any encouragement) and before we know it we’re enjoying all those lovely ‘greens’
- It also means that no-one can slip a fullish plate into the kitchen unseen (if everyone is eating in different rooms or while the TV is on, then attention might be elsewhere)
- With children a psychological approach is better than ‘forcing’ because a battle is ‘the last resort’. Perhaps a trade-off can be struck, i.e. eating the vegetables, natural fruit, or salad in exchange for a small treat (preferably not edible, otherwise it reinforces ‘out of control’ eating habits – which is something we are striving to avoid). Instead offer them or (if its you) agree to make the reward something enjoyable around the house. With children it can be as aspect they particularly enjoy, which often is just time spent as a family, like a board game. It doesn’t have to be super serious to get kids, in particular, to do something they don’t want to … humor can play a very large part, and is less stressful for all concerned. The less resistance there is, the quicker behavioural change occurs
- And I’ve done this for myself, you can always sneak food onto the plate in other guises, i.e. celeriac is a good replacement for potato … we don’t have to have spuds with everything? Or do we
These are just a few thoughts … feel free to add some of your own …
Getting experimental around the kitchen can be just as exciting as in other rooms in the house … oo la la! Enjoy!
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