Always cleaning your plate can be bad for your health

Masterfile

Have you ever heard of the “clean plate club?” I’m willing to bet this guy has. It’s a story about the now five-time winner of the July 4^th International Hot Dog Eating Contest held at Coney Island in New York and how he crammed 62 hot dogs down his throat in 10 minutes. Blarf.

I remember being told to eat everything on my plate growing up. I remember a lot of families were like this, and often dessert was the bribe that got us to do it. The model was: Eat all this food, and we’ll reward you with more food.

As a kid, I stuffed myself on a regular basis because of this mentality. You know, the time-to-undo-the-pants kind of caloric inhalation, where you just want to lie back and not move for a while afterward. As I reached adulthood, this mentality led to a weight problem. Fortunately, at 25 I got sick of my flab and got it under control.

Striving to always leave a clean plate is not a way of thinking that leads to maintaining a healthy weight. Exercise is great and a critical part of maintaining health, but controlling dietary intake is really what leads to a healthy body weight.

Back to hot dog guy. These types of things lead to a bad example of food as a game or a contest or “fun.” Well, it’s not. It’s a survival. Food is supposed to be about healthy fueling, and when you go beyond that to turn it into a sport, or a bribe, and simply a source of pleasure, things go sideways.

I do tell my kids to eat what I believe is a healthy amount to grow, but I never make them clean their plates. It sends a bad message. Leftovers can always go in the fridge.

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