The “clean plate club” refers to the habit of feeling compelled to finish all the food on your plate regardless of your levels of fullness. Breaking this habit and learning to listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues is essential for maintaining a healthy relationship with food and managing your overall health. Last Tuesday, I discussed this common challenge with BAC members, and it was such a good conversation that I wanted to share a recap of it here. 

Disclaimer – this is important!

Let me be clear – there is nothing wrong with eating all the food on your plate if it’s the right amount your body needs to function optimally. This is for those who feel the need to finish their meal regardless of the portion being served. People struggling with the clean plate club mentality frequently feel overstuffed and uncomfortably full. 

Did you know? 💡

The Clean Plate Club was a propaganda campaign that began in 1917 during food shortages and regulations around World War I. 

Why is the clean plate club mentality a problem?

Clearing your plate every time, regardless of how much food is served, can cause you to eat past fullness. Ideally, we want to connect to our hunger and fullness signals to regulate how much food we eat. Listening to our hunger and fullness cues allows us to eat intuitively and listen to our bodies instead of following external rules that dictate how much food we put into our bodies.

Let’s talk about kids.

The requirement to eat all the food on your plate frequently comes from good intentions and well-meaning parents. The primary purpose is to help children appreciate food and reduce food waste. Some parents are concerned that their children are not eating enough, so they force them (often by not allowing them to get up from the table) to eat all the food served to ensure they get adequate calories and nutrition. Unfortunately, these approaches backfire in many ways, including:

1. Children may associate eating with overeating.
2. Children may be unable to listen to their fullness cues, causing them to overeat regardless of their hunger levels. 
3. Children may believe that forcing food down leads to a reward, while listening to their bodies leads to punishment. 
   1. Here are some examples:
      1. You won’t get ice cream if you don’t finish your food.
      2. Your sister ate all her dinner (aka, she is “good”), so she’ll get dessert.

Forcing, guilting, or rewarding children to eat food they don’t want teaches them not to listen to their bodies. Sadly, this can (and often does) cause a lifetime of eating problems. Think about your own experiences. Do you feel compelled to clear your plate every time? If so, when did this start for you? Childhood? Are your well-meaning parents or caregivers the reason you overeat today? 

It’s time to break the generational practices of guilting our kids to eat because others don’t have access to food or because we are worried that they will “starve.” We can still teach our children about appreciating food access and availability. We can educate them on strategies to reduce food waste. But let’s consider positive approaches versus punishing methods.

Why do I feel compelled to clean my plate every time?

Fear, guilt, and shame are common reasons people must clean their plates. These feelings often stem from: 

• Your caregiver or parent guilted you into eating because “there are starving children in the world.”
• Your caregiver or parent guilted you into eating to avoid wasting food.
• Your caregiver or parent feared you were not getting enough food to eat and would be malnourished or starved.
• Your caregiver or parent feared you would be a picky eater for life if they didn’t force you to eat everything. 
• Your caregiver or parent feared you would be unintentionally disrespectful if someone else made you a meal and you didn’t finish it. 

A note about food insecurity

Another reason people struggle with cleaning their plates regardless of their appetite is a history of food insecurity. You may have eaten as much as possible of whatever was available during times of food scarcity. Maybe you forced yourself to finish everything you had to avoid waste and because you did not know when you’d get to eat again. Now that you have access to food, you may struggle with connecting to your hunger and fullness cues as you may be wired to eat as if food were still scarce. Among adults, food insecurity is associated with higher levels of binge eating, compensatory behaviors, and bulimia nervosa.

How do I leave the Clean Plate Club?

Mindful Eating

Pay attention to your hunger and fullness levels. Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re satisfied, even if there’s food left on your plate. 

What if I need help to identify my hunger and fullness levels?

Use a hunger-fullness scale (like this one) to get in touch with your hunger and satiety cues. 

I have a plate full of food in front of me. What can I do to not automatically eat it all?

1. Imagine that your meal is divided into four sections. Eat the first section (25% of your meal) and stop to check-in. Ask yourself where you are on the hunger and satiety scale. You will likely not feel starved, but you will probably want to eat more. Eat the second section of your meal and check in again. Then, eat the third section and check-in. Are you good here? What will happen if you eat the fourth section? Will eating that section lead to a comfortably full state? Or an overstuffed and uncomfortable state? You may decide that 2 to 3 bites of the fourth section will be the right amount of food to feel good and satisfied.
2. Practice intentionally leaving some food behind. This exercise may help you realize you won’t destroy the world by leaving food on your plate. Start with leaving one bite behind. Then try two bites. If you are concerned about food waste, consider saving the leftovers (no matter how small) or compost.

Serve yourself smaller portions

Serve smaller portions to begin with. You can always go back for seconds if you’re still hungry. If you have kids and often finish their leftover food, consider serving them less to reduce or eliminate food left behind. 

Don’t feel guilty

Remind yourself that it’s okay to leave food on your plate. While food waste is not ideal, sometimes it is inevitable. Wasting food can be tossing food in the trash or forcing it down into a body that does not desire it. Both are forms of waste and are equally unfortunate, but you do not need to beat yourself up for it. If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of needing to waste food, reflect on why the food went to waste to prevent this from happening again. Forcing yourself to eat food to avoid it from going in the trash is not a virtue; it’s disrespectful to your body. 

Save Leftovers

If you have leftovers, save them for another meal. This reduces the pressure to finish everything in one sitting. If you hate leftovers, try again! Research best practices for reheating leftovers to taste as good as the first time. If you have a few bites left, eat them as a snack the next day. 

Donate or Compost

If you consistently have leftovers you can’t save, consider donating them to a food bank or composting them rather than feeling obligated to eat them. Or, consider making less food to begin with. 

Avoid Distractions

Eat without distractions like TV, phones, or computers. Focus on the taste and texture of the food, which can help you gauge your fullness better.

Seek Professional Help

If you struggle with overeating or have a history of disordered eating, consider speaking with a registered dietitian or mental health professional for guidance and support.

Breaking the clean plate habit is a process that requires patience and conscious effort. Be kind to yourself and focus on building a healthy relationship with food and your body. If you need additional support, check out the BodyFit Athletic Club, where we discuss topics like this every week!