Can You Leave Food on Your Plate?
Do you feel the urge to eat everything on your plate or can you leave food? This is a topic I frequently discuss with my weight loss clients yet don’t think about it very often when it comes to my own eating habits. But last week when I was having dinner with a group of fellow nutritionists, it occurred to me that I am a member of the “clean plate club”! Read on to see some reasons why we may feel compelled to eat everything on our plates and learn what you can do about it.
Six of my colleagues got together 2 weeks ago for diner at Lure in NYC. It’s a great place with delicious food and a fun atmosphere. Best of all, it was restaurant week which includes a prix fixe menu. I couldn’t help but notice how some of us ate every morsel of food that was placed on our plates while others had no problem leaving significant amounts of food. And FYI – nutrition and calories is the LAST thing nutritionists talk about when we get together! So this made me think, why is it that some people can leave food on their plates while others have such a hard time? (above pic is me, Lauren and Rachel)
Do you use any of these rationalizations to clean your plate?
As I was enjoying my meal (and several glasses of vino), I realized that I was starting to get full after my app and half of my entree. In case you were wondering, I ordered the raw bar tasting app (oysters and shrimp cocktail) and seared branzino with beet risotto, bell pepper coulis and corn pudding. But I kept eating until every bite of food (including the warm chocolate cake with salted caramel ice cream and candied popcorn!) was gone. See if any of these rationalizations sound familiar. I made a note of mine! (pic is of Samantha, Amy and Jenna)
– It’s a prix fixe dinner … dessert is included (my thoughts)
– I paid for it, so I am going to eat it (my thoughts)
– This dish so delicious, I’m going to eat it all even though I’m totally stuffed (my thoughts)
– I can’t help it – I was raised to eat everything on my plate. I can’t change how I was raised
– I’ll do an extra 30 minutes on the treadmill tomorrow I like to feel full
– It’s a special occasion, so I want to really enjoy it (my thoughts)
– I have no discipline – I can’t help it
– I’ll start my diet tomorrow
– Everyone else it eating all their food, so I might as join in
– How fattening can it be? It’s just fish
– I don’t want to leave food on my plate because there are children starving in other countries
– I don’t want to waste food
Tips to revoke your clean plate club membership
So regardless of why you feel the urge to clean your plate, more important is what you are going to do about it. Whether your large portions are consumed at home or in a restaurant, you’ll need to come up with a strategy or you’ll soon find yourself packing on the pounds. Try 
some of these strategies:
1. You will first need to be aware that you have the urge clean your plate. Then think about why you need to do this.
2. Eat VERY slow and pay attention to how your body feels. Stop eating when you feel moderately full – not FULL. (pic is of me and Chef Josh Capon at Lure)
3. When you start to feel moderately full, place your silverware on your plate to signal you are finished. You’ll be less likely to start to eat again after you’ve done this.
4. Drink a lot of water while you eat to help you feel full – even better is club soda as it bloats you and makes you feel even more full.
5. Order 2 apps instead of an entree so you’ll have less food overall. It is probably ok to eat all of your food in this case!
6. Order your own healthy app and split an entree with a friend. Same reasoning as above – if the portions of food served are on the moderate side, go ahead and eat it all. But pay attention to how your body is feeling.
7. Ask the waiter to bring out only 1/2 of your entree and wrap up the other half for you to take home. (Pic is of my stepmother Hilkka who took 1/2 her meal home in a doggie bag)
8. When the food comes, immediately cut it in half. Tell yourself that you are only going to eat the half portion. If you don’t plan on taking it home, add large amounts of salt to it to make it inedible so you won’t be tempted.
9. Ask to have the bread basket removed.
10. Look at the menu ahead of time online and come up with a game plan on what you will order.
11. Avoid prix fix restaurants UNLESS it is a very special occasion or the restaurant has healthy options.
12. Make it a game (private) to see if you can eat less than your dining companions. Secretly tell yourself that you have more willpower than they do.
13. Rather than thinking about the dessert that you’ll be missing, think about how great it will feel to have your clothes fit better.
14. If you still feel like you will have trouble leaving food on your plate, limit as much temptation as possible. Ask for foods to be served plain, with sauce on the side. Ask for a double portion of veggies and omit the starch.
15. At home, use smaller dinner plates and don’t serve family style.
Let me know if any of these tips helped you eat less and feel free to share some of your own!
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MEET MARTHA
I especially love problem-solving, whether it’s helping women defeat issues plaguing them for years, helping a busy executive find practical ways to get heart healthy, or providing tips to help you reverse diabetes. That’s why I’m on a constant quest to expand my knowledge by staying on top of the latest research.
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If you follow these tips you’re actively working towards an unhealthy relationship with food. I am suffering from an eating disorder and felt extremely triggered by this. I do believe its good to teach yourself to be mindful of what you eat and how much, but making it a ‘game’ to eat less than your friends for example is just sick. Food is not for playing games, it is supposed to nourish your body and make you feel good and healthy. You should never be proud to be able to withstand from eating something because, believe me, it becomes an addiction.