Should you finish your meal or not: Expert's advice
Illustrative photo (Freepik)
Many people have been told since childhood that you must finish all your food. Leaving food is absolutely normal. It's important to understand the reasons why you might not want to finish your meal, according to coach Anita Lutsenko.
Why you might not want to finish your food
When a person doesn't want to eat, especially if they've been sitting with their plate for about 20 minutes but continue eating "because they have to." At this point, the person stops listening to their body and overeats automatically.
The celebrity coach pointed out that leaving food is normal. Therefore, throwing it away is also acceptable when it's unnecessary.
The main reasons for not wanting to finish your meal include:
- Eating something sweet before the meal. It’s best not to eat or drink sweet beverages before a meal because this 100% kills the appetite.
- The portion might be too large. Consider reducing the portion size.
- The body is already satisfied and has had enough. There's no need to disrupt natural sensations by forcing yourself or others.
- Highly processed food, fast food, and ready-made meals have the effect of making it impossible to stop, and nothing remains on the plate. However, this is false happiness. Simple food doesn’t cause such an effect.
Why you shouldn’t force children to finish everything
Parents need to understand that the stomach capacity of an adult and a child is significantly different.
Children should be given smaller portions than other family members, or not be forced to eat when they no longer want to. Since birth, babies have a good sense of hunger, and when they are full.
Moreover, when a person is forced to do something against their will, negative associations arise. Thus, there's a high risk that in the future, such children will not want to eat healthy food because seeing fresh vegetables and fruits will evoke unpleasant memories.
This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.
