By age five, children have learned to clean their plates.

"Clean your plate or your won't get your dessert." How often did you hear that phrase growing up? It's a common parental ploy, and one which researchers are finding may be backfiring at the expense of kids' health.

The obesity rate among American children is skyrocketing. In an effort to get to the bottom of this disturbing trend Dr. Leann Birch and her team are studying the relationship between children and food. In one experiment, three-year-olds and five-year-olds are each given a lunch with enormous portions. A surprising trend emerges - the five-year-olds finish every bite, just like they've been told at home, but the three-year-olds leave much of the meal behind. Birch finds that younger children have not yet learned the clean-your-plate philosophy, and it works to their advantage.

Once alone, Morgan relishes the sweets that are restricted at home.

What's more, her work reveals that making dessert a reward can also backfire on parents concerned about limiting sweets. Even though he is full from a big lunch, when five-year-old Morgan is left alone with a variety of snacks, he digs in with abandon. This is one example of an eating behavior that is often associated with parental restriction of sweets. Perfecting this delicate balance, Birch acknowledges, is a tough job for parents, but one that could save their kids from a lifetime of bad eating.

For more on this topic, see the web feature:
Caloric Confusion