Friday, November 20, 2009

Clean off Your Plate!

Days 18 and 19

When I was a wee lad the policy at my house was that you couldn’t leave the table unless you finished everything on your plate. Needless to say, this led to many long hours at the dining room table by myself and turned me into an expert food smuggler.

I was a picky eater as a kid and wouldn’t finish what was on my plate because I either didn’t like it or I was too full. It instilled a lifelong sense of guilt in me if I didn’t consume everything served to me at mealtime. Looking at my eating habits recently has led me to believe this is actually an unhealthy eating habit.

When full you don’t have to eat the rest. Stop when you feel full and you won’t overeat. It’s just that simple. Wrap up what you have left over and save it for another meal. Or better yet, don’t take more than what you think you can eat in one sitting and think carefully when you decide how much of a portion to take.

Eating out? Ask for a doggie bag. I love doggie bags—especially if I am currently living someplace that tends to have people begging on the streets. On more than one occasion I’ve been asked for money by homeless people when coming from eating out. If I have a doggie bag with me in this situation it is theirs. They are usually very grateful and really, if you have more than enough and they have none then the logical thing is to give them your leftover slice of pizza instead of nothing at all.

Talk to you soon.

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