Posted on 04/03/2015 9:01:35 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Apparently, parents should visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) website to find out how to teach their children good eating habits.
The agency in charge of the country’s agricultural sector is now in the nanny business, thanks to First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative to fight childhood obesity, which links to choosemyplate.gov on its website.
In the kids’ section of My Plate, advice is dished out on how parents can help pre-schoolers “develop healthy eating habits,” including a warning about praising an empty plate.
“Avoid praising a clean plate,” the website states. “Your child should stop eating when he or she is full, rather than when the plate is clean.”
And apparently, your child knows better than you do how to manage their nutritional needs.
“Babies know when they have eaten enough,” the website states. “Help your children keep listening to their bodies as they grow.”
When my kids were growing up – and during my own childhood – being “full” was usually an excuse not to eat the food that was prepared. And that excuse didn’t fly in my house or with my parents.
But the USDA says you should trust a child’s eating assessment around the dinner table.
“Give your kids a chance to stop eating when they feel full, even if you think they aren't,” the website states. “They'll feel more independent and you'll help them keep a healthy weight.”
The website also acts as the speech police for parents, offering a link that states: “Use phrases that help not hinder when helping them know when they’ve had enough.” One more click on “what you say” and you’ll know how to be a better parent.
Words that hinder: “You’re such a big girl. You ate all your peas.”
Really? Yes, because saying that will “teach your child to ignore fullness. It is better for kids to stop eating when they are full or satisfied than when all the food has been eaten.”
Instead, USDA says, use words that help: “Is your stomach telling you that you’re full?”
And whatever you do, don’t say, “No dessert until you eat your vegetables.”
No, because “offering some foods, like dessert, in reward for finishing others, like vegetables, makes some foods seem better than others.”
My favorite? These words that USDA classifies as those that hinder: Don’t say “Eat that for me.” (Does anyone ever say that?)
Instead, the USDA recommends these words that help: “This is kiwi fruit; it’s sweet like a strawberry.”
I admit, I never thought about comparing kiwis and strawberries when my child was having an eating issue. Instead, I used these words, which helped make almost every meal the blessing that it was.
“Thank you God for this food and now let’s eat and be grateful!”
We had things that we hated when we were kids. Calamari is so trendy now, but when it appeared as an entree, stuffed, with the tentacles practically hanging over the edge of the platter with all their little suction cups, no way were we forced to eat it. Somehow they knew we were at the screaming point. And we never got served that for dinner again.
But everyone knows this. You don’t force kids to eat anything. That’s cruel. We don’t need the government to tell us.
Bingo. Overeating is not possible at my house. We eat quality food, so we can only afford two meals a day.
"Ok, send them this, then.".......(I don't remember anything after that).
I saw a standup comic talking about this in his act. His father told him to eat everything on his plate because there were starving children in China. He replied, "Can I finish your beer? Because they're probably sober too."
[[USDA Tells Parents to Teach Healthy Eating Habits: Don’t Praise That Clean Plate]]
USDA COMMANDS Parents to Teach Healthy Eating Habits: Don’t Praise That Clean Plate, or face a fine...
There, all fixed
So that an hour later they are hungry and want a much less nutritious snack.
I was told the same thing, but I handed my plate to my dad and said “Here, send this to them”
My stepfather always told me that it was necessary to clean my plate because children in China were starving. I never did understand how my eating or not eating the food on my plate would keep them from starving.
As an adult, I told this to a Russian man. The story made him angry, for reasons that are probably cultural and which I do not understand.
Another time, I told this to a Chinese woman. She thought the story was so funny that she immediately called her daughter to share the funny story. Again, the reasons for the amusement are probably cultural and I do not understand them.
Whether being told to eat because of the starving children is an anger-inducing or a funny story, I never insisted that my son eat after he was already full. Having had too many problems with obesity throughout my life, I wanted him to remain aware of when his body tells him he has eaten enough. My only requirement was that he would at least try anything I put down before him. He grew up into an extremely thin adult who is willing to try anything (but has his favorites).
Me too, also 68!
This is one of the first lessons in CONSERVATIVE living... clean you plate and if you can’t, next time don’t take as much.
Now the government is instructing our kids how to eat? Freedom is constantly losing. “F” them!!
I know that you don’t become obese eating all your peas. I’ve got to get back on Fuhrman’s Eat to Live regimen. You can eat all you want, and you’ll lose weight. I went from about 230 down to 195, but I’m back up to 210...drat!
With us, it was the starving kids in Biafra - never could figure out how my eating a few extra bites would make them less hungry...
The resulting lump on the back of my head only lasted a few days.
You didn’t even TRY the calimari? Sheesh. You lost out.
“...starving children in China.”
The amount of waste during school lunches could feed China!
Same here. Still do & I’m not overweight!
“I want what the President’s kids have for lunch Momma!”
........
Sidwell School lunch menu for Monday..
April 6, 2015
MS/US
French Onion Soup
PJ’s Couscous Salad
Arugula, Fennel Parmesan Salad
Chicken Patty Sandwich
Orzo with Black Beans and Corn
Garlic Haricot Verts
Baked Organic French Fries
Grapes
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