Do you think there would be less childhood obesity if parents didn't require kids to finish their plates?

Question

(And started with smaller portions?)

Answer 1

I think this would be one step toward fighting childhood obesity, but it won't solve the problem on its own. Keeping healthy foods on hand and minimizing junk food, exercising together as a family, getting kids involved in preparing healthy meals, encouraging physical activity, setting a good example for them by having the parents also follow good diet and exercise routines--all of these things can help as well. It takes more than just one small change to keep kids healthy. The most important thing is to teach them healthy habits that they will follow into adulthood. Kids who overeat and don't exercise are likely to become adults who overeat and don't exercise, but building healthy habits in kids will help them become healthy adults.

Answer 2

I'm not sure there would be less obesity, but it's somewhat odd to make children finish eating if they truly aren't hungry.

Some might say that children will just eat the unhealthy and then not eat the veggies, but not if parents make healthier meals all around.

I am only fourteen, and to tell you the truth, I hate take out, but my parents insist on getting it atleast 1 or 2 times a week. Trouble is, they always make me finish the plate, so even though I dont like takeout or very greasy foods, we eat them too often.

So maybe it's not so much the finishing of the meal, but the overall healthiness of whats on the kids plate.

Answer 3

The problem is not making the kids finish their
plates.Now portion control can be a problem.But I think the biggest cause of childhood obesity comes from junk food and
sugar and over eating these foods.

Answer 4

I dont think their would be less obesity. It doesnt matter how much is on their plate, its what they are eating and the excercise they are getting. If they have a smaller plate, topped with fattening foods, and sit in front of the tv all day, obesity would not go down.

Answer 5

I learned in a nutrition class that we are born with the ability and habit of just eating as much as we need, no more, no less.

And then, family and society influences messes that all up. Parents telling their kids to clean their plates is just one of the many things that messes with their ability to properly regulate their food intake.

Answer 6

No, there'd be less childhood obesity if parents would turn off the television, put away the video games, shut off the computer, and send their kids outside to play.

Answer 7

I know from experience that kids who are made to clean their plates will become adults that overeat. It is extremely hard to get over that childhood thinking of the plate has to be clean. You don't really know when you are full you just eat until its gone.

Answer 8

Exactly.

This finish your plate business is a holdover from our parents (mine anyway, I'm a child of the Sixties) coping mechanism for the Great Depression.

Answer 9

i completely understand what you are asking,my parents made me all ways finish my plate.but i didn't become obese behind it.
i think its the choice of food people decide to feed there children
i my self being a mother of 4,try to make and serve my kids as much healthy food as possible,and keep the fast food to a minimum.(like every other weekend)

Answer 10

Perhaps but they should also be keeping them away from the fast food chains and buying junk food that they can eat at home. I'd rather see them clean their plate than eating the crap that kids and teenagers eat.