The Clean Plate Club

(It’s a political conspiracy.)

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You may be tired of talking politics after the presidential debates this weekend, but this is information you probably do not know.

When the presidential candidates were debating, Charlie Gibson should have asked, “Mr. Senator, Madam Senator, Honorable Mayor (etc.), do you ascribe to the philosophy of the Clean Plate Club, to which many past presidents have ascribed?”

You may not know the political origins of this Club. According to the Wikipedia, Clean Plate Clubs were part of a campaign started by U. S. President Harry S. Truman that encouraged school children to pledge to eat everything on their plate at mealtimes, in order to conserve limited post-war resources. These clubs were founded in a large number of elementary schools, and were promoted on several children’s television shows.

Truman based the idea on Clean Plate campaigns started by President Woodrow Wilson in the aftermath of World War I, giving us a heritage of political intervention at our dinner tables!

We’ve heard our mother’s say, “Clean your plate. There are children who don’t have good food to eat.” Thankfully and obediently, we cleaned our plates. This was a dangerous move for those of us who are set up biologically to become overweight.

But it is no wonder that we eat everything on our plates. At my house, throwing food away was a mortal sin. Food for the family did not come easily. We grew our own vegetables, slaughtered our own chickens, picked up the eggs in the chicken house out back. We cleaned and processed and preserved and cooked our own foods. When there were treats, like Grandmama’s pound cake, we received paper thin slices and begged for more. Wasting food or throwing it away was not acceptable.

Today, we pay corporations to raise our foods, process, preserve, and, according to the latest stats, a majority of us pay them to cook for us!

When we eat out, we are usually served enough food to use up the entire day’s caloric intake. Many of us share our entrees with others or take home half for another meal. But the unspoken message is, here is a meal for you. It is normal that you eat it.

I think the Minimalists have it right. They only eat enough to live. They don’t live to eat like so many of us do. They enjoy the small amounts of fuel that run their bodies efficiently and add to their longevity.

I read in the most recent Reader’s Digest that most Americans gain a pound a year during the holidays and never lose it. Could it be that they gained that pound by eating the food that was leftover in the refrigerator after the holidays because they didn’t have the heart to throw it away?

Our nutritionist at Southeast Bariatrics does pantry raids by request. She identifies poor food choices and eliminates them, making recommendations for healthier choices. Are you ready for a pantry raid? I threw away the last bit of cake and cookies this morning. What a relief!

Being a member of the clean plate club, it’s hard to throw away, ignore, or let food go to waste. But I am learning to do it.

I’m sure the candidates have much more important things to think about.

Later,

Jennifer

www.southeastbariatrics.com

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