Stemming from my childhood kitchen table comes the idea that I must finish ALL that is on the plate.

The reason I was told was that there were “starving kids in Africa” that would starve even more if I didn’t finish everything on my plate. huh? I never quite got that concept. But I did embrace the concept of finishing everything that was dished out to me.

WOW… This is deep and I could go on to discuss the PLATE OF LIFE here. But I’ll keep that for the next blog or book!

Because this concept disturbed me and I could not wrap my head around what my eating had to do with anyone else starving somewhere else, I chose not to  adopt this policy while raising my own children.  I did not make this a consideration at dinner time, which may be the reason that my 3 kids eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full.

My daughter, (seen in this picture with her head cut off) had apparently had enough of her pancakes offered the leftovers to the panting pug beside her.

Roc is quite happy to lick his plate and any other plate completely clean. He’ll even eat soap if it slightly resembles and item of food.  More on Roc in another blog.

My daughter, on the other hand, put her intuitive eating style into practice, enjoying her pancakes, stopping when full and satisfied and offered the remaining to the seemingly starving puglet.

She lived the experience of joyfully offering her unfinished food for someone else’s satisfaction, unlike myself who licked my plate clean, so those poor far away starving kids would not suffer, while I consumed more food than my body needed.

Since I haven’t been totally successful at solving the EAT EVERYTHING ON YOUR PLATE syndrome or breaking the habit of the LICKING THE PLATE CLEAN, I have incorporated an “exercise” of smaller portions that seems to work for me.

I use small plates.

I can finish eating my all of my food without thinking guilty obsessive thoughts. This is what I call creating a style that supports your life. It works for me.

Be open to the possibility of what will work for you. If what you have been doing is getting you the results you don’t want, then it’s time to stop doing THAT THING and try something new.

Good things come in many sizes and shapes. That includes plates, dishes and the solutions to your lifestyle. My favorite is the plate is yellow and black one. Its a perfect medium sized cake dish and fits my needs divinely.

What’s your perfect plate look like?  Size? Color? What feelings does it evoke in you when dish out your nourishment onto that plate?

– Rosie Battista