Obesity-proofing our children 180 My advice? If they don’ t want dessert then you have less motivation from them to work with.( Just on this, we should not get in the habit of having dessert with every meal, and when you do have dessert, after lunch is better than after dinner – remember the French.) Obviously there is no need for dessert when giving your children a main course they love. So if there is no dessert, or they are happy to forgo it, just require your children to eat at least half of what is on their plate from each of the food groups served. The easiest way to do this is to divide it up for them. But to increase the chance of their eating until they are genuinely full, and not trying just to get out of eating dinner, make it clear( and then make sure you police it) that there will be no other food until breakfast. If they really want to do battle and not eat any more then let them leave the table but they have to go to their room until bedtime. No TV, no hanging out with the family. Remember, these are guidelines not rules. Modify them as you see fit at the time. If a child is over-tired or unwell then let the issue go. Portion size is the next factor to consider. Remember: less is more. Love is not expressed through heaping food on our children’ s plates. In this age we express love by cooking healthy, tasty meals served in small portions. What we want is our children eating a wide range of food but not a lot of it. If you are eating out and the serves are large then let them eat less again. The other factor to watch here is what they ate before the meal. Did they fill up on unhealthy food? If this was the case it needs to be made clear that if they don’ t eat most of what is on their plate then the next time they will not be allowed to eat just before a meal. The After Rule: Children can eat fattening food only after eating healthy food. For the generations still affected by the post-depression‘ waste not, want not’ philosophy it can be very difficult to see good food on your