Why you can’t force your child to finish all the food on the plate

Mikhail Dmitrievich Bonch-Bruevich in 1956 wrote a children’s story “The Society of Clean Plates”. There was no person in the Soviet Union who did not know this story. Both in kindergarten and at home, adults said that it was very honorable to be in the Clean Plate Society, Lenin himself writes in the ranks. And if you eat poorly, children will not be accepted there and will not be given a badge of distinction. And then the child woke up appetite, there was not a crumb on the plate.



At the time, leaving food on a plate was considered wrong. Not being in an honorable society and being an outcast is the worst thing. The Clean Plate Society has long since lost its power. Psychologists and nutritionists insist that both parents and children join the Society for a balanced diet. Children should not be forced to eat if they do not want to. And there are a number of reasons.



The society of clean plates "Until you finish everything, you will not get up from the table," the sentence sounds. And it's very scary. Since childhood, a person develops a habit of eating not to be satiated, but to empty a plate. Food addiction is the same bad habit as other harmful habits of a person. The weight increases, the psyche suffers. And when the child is full, he continues by inertia to finish the food, even if not hungry. It's bad for the body.



It's time to wean moms and grandmas off feeding their baby like slaughter. In addition to health problems, he may have more serious problems. Inferiority complex, low self-esteem. But what is even worse is eating food. Natalia Kholodenko, a psychologist and TV presenter, said: “Let them not finish eating.” Teach children to throw away food without regret. And even better, ask how many spoons of porridge to put, whether the food is tasty.



Throwing away food without regret is not the best advice. Still, it is better to teach the child to compare their desires and capabilities. If he asks for five spoonfuls of porridge but only eats 3, don't make him finish. Today you can make anything, from anything. There's no shortage in the shops. In accordance with your financial capabilities, try to make the child’s diet diverse and complete. And about the amount and what will be useful for your child, you can always consult a nutritionist.



Nutritionists often face the problem of dependence on food. They have to choose an individual diet, partly for healing, partly in order to deceive their body and normalize eating habits. It can take weeks and months. It is best to work with a psychologist. And even better – contact a nutritionist in order to adjust your diet before there are health problems. The experts themselves say this.



Difficult life situations cause some people to eat stress, this is because they do not know how to cope with their problem. It's all childhood habits. So if you're for the Clean Plate Society, it's better to let the kid wash the dishes with him than ruin his life with an extra spoonful of porridge. Were you forced to eat every last baby as a kid?