Teaching my kids that it was important to be a “member of the clean plate club” was not one of my finer parenting moments. But luckily my kids were smarter than I was, and they took a hard stand. And, they told me who was boss of their own bodies:
If they had had enough of what was served, they stopped eating.
If the company was better than the food, they left their food alone and went to play.
Certain meals made memories and that’s what they craved.
When we teach our children to “clean their plate” this sets them up for using external cues as opposed to internal cues for figuring out what’s an appropriate amount of food for them. Small children are already “intuitive eaters”, wired to stop eating when they have had enough, when they are full. Sadly, it is our collective society that teaches our children otherwise and does not allow them to feel their fullness on their own. When you are eating a meal, fullness is the physical sensation of satiety. It's your body registering that you've reached the point where you've comfortably had enough food to eat.
It is important to recognize that feelings of fullness are cues and signals that adapt and change based on your body's energy needs.
Here are a few tips to use to learn how to “feel your fullness”:
Listen for the body signals that tell you that you are no longer hungry.
Observe the signs that show that you’re comfortably full.
Pause in the middle of eating and ask yourself how the food tastes, and what your current hunger level is.
Would you like to learn more about feeling your fullness and how to eat intuitively? I can help! Contact me at rachel@liveheatlhynyc.com