Stop Cleaning Your Plate

Many of us have been conditioned to eat everything on our plates, and in many circumstances it is considered rude not to eat what is in front of you. I remember my father telling me I could have anything on the menu when we would go out to eat as long as I ate everything on my plate. And we all heard that there were starving children in the world.

I became conditioned over years to eat everything on my plate and I learned to stuff myself to accommodate what was in front of me, I could also manage to choke down horrible tasting food when I had to eat a meal that had been prepared by a distant relative who's heart would be broken if a clean plate was not presented to her, but this could be trouble because they would want to reload it when you were finished.

There are a couple of ways you can reprogram your mind to break this habit. One is to deliberately leave a bit of food on your plate when you finish, it can be a very small amount at first, but as you get better at identifying the feeling of fullness in your stomach you will learn not to go on stuffing yourself. If you eat slowly, chewing every bite carefully before swallowing and putting your fork down between bites, you will allow your brain more time to realize that your body is being fed. Once you are full, that is the time to stop eating, even if you have only eaten half of what is on your plate.