Finish everything on your plate...

Eat everything on your plate! Don't you know that there are children starving in other countries?!?!


If you are about my age, you remember that sentence well.

Someone mentioned to me that they feel guilty for not finishing everything on their plate. I do too... and it's something I have looked into and I think I have come up with an answer. It's not a solution, but it might give you an a-ha moment.

My generation especially (us 30 somethings), eat everything put in front of them, with no questions, and if they don't eat it all, they feel badly about it. My parents' generation drove into us that there are people starving elsewhere, that food can be expensive, that we should be grateful. They also heaped on the food.

Not their fault.

Go back one more generation, the generation that raised the generation, that raised my generation (still with me?) our Grandparents. Look at the era they were raised in. In most average households- our grandparents lived through or were born during or just after the depression. They knew loss, the knew hardship, they knew rationing and doing without first hand. That kind of life makes a lasting impression.

So our grandparents raised our parents with the daily reminders of what it was like to go without and have no idea when you could get more (I had to walk 10 miles, in the snow....). And I would even venture to say that having known less, our grandparents may have doled out more onto the dish.

So the depression is still affecting us, or at least our eating habits. Is there a fix? No. Self control is the only way to help yourself. BUT we can fix it for future generations. I find that knowing how my father would give me an adult portion (as a child) and guilt me into finishing it all... would serve my own child a life of being unhealthy and fat, makes me want to do better for her.

LESS IS MORE. I put less on her plate, and if she asks for more... she gets it. If she doesn't want to eat, I don't make her. I let her self- regulate. And don't get me wrong, I wont let her eat chips if that's all she'll eat. If she doesn't want what's for dinner, she doesn't get dinner. Eat or starve. But there are days when I can put raw oysters (not really, just looking for a gross example) in front of her and she'll eat until there are none left in the ocean. And other days when I can put gallons of ice cream (see previous parenthesis) in front of her and she'll shake her head and say "uh uh, nope".

Ideally we should do the same for ourselves. It's the practical aspect that is the challenge.

A suggestion from my nutritionist (and I may have said this before), a 9 inch plate, 50% should be vegetable... of the remaining 50%, 20% is carbs, and 30% is meat/protein. If you just gotta eat more... eat more salad, broccoli, whatever.

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+237 (it's creeping back, cuz I have been awful)

Another self flagellation- I have been bad. Very lazy and bad. But this is my promise to myself... tomorrow is a new day. Time to tighten the belt, straighten the back, and move in a positive direction.

B- 2 eggs 2 sausage

L- spinach wrap with salami, smoked Gouda, spinach, red onions, pickles. And a side of pretzels (the pretzels prolly pushed my limit)

D- Mexican food. Had a fajita quesadilla. Bad in the fat/calorie dept. And the carbs were relatively under control.

Wanted chocolate the other day, found out that Russel stover makes sugar free chocolate goodness. Went to wal mart tonight and found my section... after I post this I am gonna eat a little but of candy (yay candy!). I have to stay withing the serving recommendation, there are still carbs... but 3 pieces of sugar free candy makes me happy!!