text: Seems that most of us take to heart the common admonition to clean our plates, at least when we fill them ourselves. 
   
   Adults eat nearly 92% of the food they put on their plates, according to research published in the International Journal of Obesity. 
   
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   FOR THE RECORD 
   
   An earlier version of this post misspelled the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 
   
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   There were some variations: If people were distracted, they ate less, almost 89% of what they took; they ate 92.8% of meals but only 76.1% of snacks. At home or in a lab, the amount eaten was about the same, and men and women ate the same percentages. 
   
   “If you put it on your plate, it’s going into your stomach,” said Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab and the study’s lead researcher. Wansink, who frequently studies eating habits, conducted the research with Katherine Abowd Johnson, a doctoral student at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 
   
   The studies that looked at children showed they ate about 60% of what they took. 
   
   Nor is the urge to clean our plates strictly an American trait: The results were nearly identical in the United States, Canada, France, Taiwan, South Korea, Finland and the Netherlands. 
   
   A bit of good news: People who were eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meat or dairy ate more – 91.2% -- than those eating less healthful foods – 80.6%. 
   
   The researchers wanted to try to fill in a gap in studies about how much we eat, noting that portion size – particularly its increase – seems connected to the epidemic of overweight and obesity. Some studies measure what people take when they serve themselves, such as at buffets. Others measure how much of a plate of food that’s served people ate. Wansink and Johnson wanted to look at how much people ate when they served themselves. 
   
   They analyzed 14 studies. Their study, the researchers said, offers preliminary evidence on the topic but can give people some direction in the search for a path to a healthier population. 
   
   As researchers from several disciplines work to find ways to address overeating and obesity, figuring out what makes people consume more or less is an important goal. The researchers in the current study noted that when a study shows, for example, that skipping a meal led people to take 200 extra calories at the following meal, what really matters is how much of the food they ate. 
   
   This study could help suggest the answer. And the answer generally is "most of it." 
   
   “Just knowing that you’re likely to consume almost all of what you serve yourself can help you be more mindful of appropriate portion size,” Wansink said in a statement. 
   
   Care about your food? Follow me on Twitter: @mmacvean ||||| If you're a member of the Clean Plate Club - you eat pretty much everything you put on your plate - you're not alone! A new Cornell University study shows that the average adult eats 92% of whatever he or she puts on his or her plate. "If you put it on your plate, it's going into your stomach," says Brian Wansink Ph.D., author of the forthcoming book, Slim by Design, Professor of Marketing and Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. 
   
   Wansink and co-author Katherine Abowd Johnson analyzed 1179 diners and concluded that we're a Clean Plate Planet. Although diners were analyzed in 8 developed countries, the US, Canada, France, Taiwan, Korea, Finland, and the Netherlands, the results were nearly identical. If we serve it, we'll eat it regardless of gender or nationality. "Part of why we finish most of what we serve is because we are aware enough to know how much we'll want in the first place," says Johnson. 
   
   The finding did not hold true with children. Analysis of 326 participants under 18 years old, showed that the average child eats only 59% of what he or she serves. "This might be because kids are less certain about whether they will like a particular food," says Wansink. "Regardless, this is good news for parents who are frustrated that their kids don't clean their plate. It appears few of them do." 
   
   Wansink says that these findings, published in the International Journal of Obesity, can positively impact an individual's eating behavior, "Just knowing that you're likely to consume almost all of what you serve yourself can help you be more mindful of appropriate portion size." Next time you grab that serving spoon, think to yourself, "How much do I want to eat?" and serve accordingly. 
   
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target: – Feeling guilty about that huge serving you heaped onto your plate at dinner last night and promptly finished? You're not the only one who does it. New research published in the International Journal of Obesity finds that the average adult eats 92% of the food on his or her plate. The reasons have yet to be hashed out, but the reality is clear: "If you put it on your plate, it's going into your stomach," says Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, in a Eureka Alert press release. The findings hold across several developed countries. Researchers observed 1,179 diners in the US, Canada, France, Taiwan, Korea, Finland, and the Netherlands, and regardless of location or gender the results were almost identical. There is, however, one exception: kids. Observing 326 participants under 18, researchers found that the typical child eats 59% of the food he or she puts on the plate. Whatever the reason, we grow up to belong to the Clean Plate Club, as researchers call it, they say this can be a wake-up call to be more mindful of what we serve ourselves in the first place. The LA Times susses out one piece of good news along those lines: Those who pile on fruits, veggies, whole grains, and other healthful stuff tend to clean their plates more thoroughly than those who eat less healthful foods. (Other research suggests it's all the sitting, not eating, that's putting on the pounds.)