Are you a member of the Clean Plate Club? If you’re an adult, then the answer is probably
yes! Children... not so much.
Hey guys, Tara here for Dnews - and we’ve all heard of the clean plate club, right?
It’s the meaningless title parents use to guilt their kids into eating all of their
food?
Well it turns out, most card-carrying members of the Clean Plate Club aren’t children
- they’re adults!
Researchers at the Cornell Food & Brand Lab analyzed almost 1,200 diners across 8 different
countries, and found that across the board, adults eat, on average, 92% of what they put
on their plate. This is of course specific to homemade meals, versus at a restaurant
where you’re given a pre-determined portion.
They also found that percentages were lower for snacks - only around 76% - and also lower
when a person was distracted - around 89%. People who were NOT distracted while eating,
actually ate around 97% of their entire meal, on average. So maybe there is something to
be said for watching TV during dinnertime...
What’s especially interesting, is that there doesn’t appear to be any cultural bias here
- at least, not among developed countries. The numbers were almost identical from the
US to Korea to France. The co-author of the study, Dr. Katherine Johnson, believes the
reason we finish most of what we serve - is because “we’re aware enough to know how
much we’ll want in the first place.”
Children, on the other hand, may not be. Researchers also analyzed 326 kids under age 18, and found
that the average child only finishes 59% of what he or she serves.
One possible explanation, is that kids are pickier, and thus less certain about whether
or not they’ll like a particular food. “Regardless,” they say, “this is good news for parents
who are frustrated that their kids don't clean their plate,” since it appears that few
of them actually do.
As for adults, it’s believed that these findings could help us practice more conscious
eating. If we know we’re gonna eat almost everything we serve ourselves, then maybe
we should be mindful about how much food we’re actually putting on our plate.
What do you guys think? Are you members of the Clean Plate Club? And what about your
kids? Let us know your answers in the comments below - and as always - thank you guys for
watching!