Did You Grow Up with Food Guilt?

When I was a child in the nineteen-sixties, my siblings and I were encouraged to eat everything on our plates so that we could be members of the "clean plate club." Another ploy to get us to eat was saying, "Remember the children of Japan and the Philippines." My dad served in Japan and the Philippines just after WWII and had a vivid memory of the Japanes and Filipino children of that time waiting for the G.I.'s to scrape their plates into the garbage so they could retrieve the food and eat it or bring it home. It was vivid for us too and we did our best to comply. Food musn't be wasted! I also have memories of our school principal standing at the garbage cans and not letting us throw away uneaten food. We had to go back and sit down and eat it, or wait till he wasn't on duty. My best friend used to stuff sauerkraut into her milk carton so she wouldn't have to force it down.

Did you grow up with food guilt? Do you still feel compelled to finish everything on your plate? Our country now has a problem with obesity. Do you believe former attitudes about food have contributed to this problem, or is it a matter of TV and other advertising? Or is it something else? Are you happy with your weight and state of health?

Comments: 10

Lisa Frost Jun 10, 2007, 8:26pm EDT

I agree. We went from a family that had some problems with weight later in life to having problems from childhood.

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Judith W. Jun 10, 2007, 8:30pm EDT

No, no food guilt.
Yes we were told that the kids in ______ (you name it) were starving.
As a child we were expected to clean our plates but we were't given a ton of food. It was, I think, the right kind of food too. Healthy and homemade.

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Lawrence J, H. Jun 10, 2007, 9:04pm EDT

I agree everyone in my house is at least 100 lb over weight. we are on a sea food diet? "we see foot we eat it"!..

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Elsie Duggan Jun 10, 2007, 9:43pm EDT

Well, I was told the same line back in the thirties, about a starving kid in _____you name it too, but we really never had the problem, because lots of times we didn't have all that much to eat, depression years. I didn't start to gain weight until my late seventies after a go round with chemo but I have taken it off this year and feel a lot better about myself. I was about 50 lbs. more than I was when I graduated high school and am now getting back to almost there. Of course I don't look the same, lol, age has a way of redistributing weight for you, no matter how much it is.

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Visionaerie B. Jun 11, 2007, 12:30am EDT

You've really struck a chord with this one! I remember hearing the exact same thing -- but fortunately I've always been a selective eater. In my case, the guilt probably went the other way. My mom and brother are the ones who've had the heart attacks. But it's so frightening how the media are always pounding the drum of "obesity" -- especially when being a little overweight is not necessarily a bad thing! So many kids are growing up in this "anorexizing" environment. To think that some schools are actually measuring body mass index -- how monstrous is that? The government subsidizes overprocessed fattening foods and then, what, expects us not to eat it? We need some common sense rationality and objective nutrition education -- not run by government or food conglomerates. Thanks for posting this -- and enjoy nature's whole food bounty!

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Wilma M. Jun 11, 2007, 12:37am EDT

It was always some little kid who would appreciate the food more than we did. We were supposed to clean our plates but I no longer worry about that. I am dealing with weight issues now so am trying to cut back. Just wish I could cook as well as my mom did. I am not motivated to cook something when I am the only one here to eat it.

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gaelyn k. Jun 11, 2007, 1:33am EDT

No, my father has always been great. Don't eat it if your full. Made life easy.

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Marge H. Jun 11, 2007, 6:56pm EDT

When the nuns used to say, "think of the poor children in ___", I used to think, "How will it help them if I empty my plate?" If I had actually said that, I would have had my mouth washed out with soap.

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William Dotani Jul 11, 2007, 11:28pm EDT

No food guilt here. My mom and dad were great cooks. My wife is a great cook. My only regret is my mom never served me sushi as a child.

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Stacie N. Dec 1, 2007, 1:25am EST

I'm kind of the opposite. My mom had (still has?) eating disorders, so I had to sneak food. It went to far, and ended up sneaking too much junk food! Luckily, I've been able to get over a lot of these issues as an adult.

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Did You Grow Up with Food Guilt?

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