Last week I was cruising around the internet reading various articles about healthy eating and weight loss. I was inspired by a blog post in Kassie’s blog about how  losing weight is only part of the journey. I was thinking through the other aspects of becoming more healthy. I was reading I came across an article at fieldsofflavor.com called “7 Mistakes Parents Make Feeding Their Children.”

The article is a good read, and one that I think all parents should have a look at. But, I also think there are some lessons for we adults who are struggling to get our weight under control. As I was reading it, I thought about some of the attitudes I have about food that were created and nurtured in me in my youth.

When I was a child, it was not acceptable for me to leave the dinner table with food on my plate. My mom refused to ever make anything special for me that wasn’t what others were eating, but I did have to eat what was made for dinner. Like any child I had certain foods I didn’t like, but for me it was more about portions. I had to stay until all was done, even if I wasn’t hungry anymore. Sadly, we put that same onus on our children when they were young as well. I have seen other parents allow their children to leave with food still on the plate, and it always plucked a chord for me. I wanted to see them have the same rules I had, after all, they worked for me, right? Of course ignoring the fact that I was thinking that I was morbidly obese, and couldn’t begin to see the link.

It is healthy to leave food behind. In my journey I have been taking smaller portions, but in restaurants they typically send out the full plate. It has taken some time, but I am becoming more comfortable with either leaving food on the plate, or taking some home for a future meal.

What things in this article speak to you about your food habits and how they are affecting your journey to better health?