New York, July 23 (IANS): If you eat pretty much everything you put on your plate, you are a proud member of the "Clean Plate Club".
A new study shows that the average adult eats 92 percent of whatever he or she puts on his/her plate.
However, the findings did not hold true with children.
An analysis of 326 participants below 18 years of age showed that an average child eats only 59 percent of what he or she is served.
"For an adult, if you put it on your plate, it is going into your stomach," said Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell University's food and brand lab.
For the study, Wansink and co-author Katherine Abowd Johnson analysed 1,179 diners in eight developed countries and concluded that we are a "Clean Plate Planet".
"Part of why we finish most of what we serve is because we are aware enough to know how much we will want in the first place," Johnson added.
In case of children, Wansink found that kids are less certain about whether they will like a particular food.
"Regardless, this is good news for parents who are frustrated that their kids do not clean their plate. It appears few of them do," he added.
The findings, published in the International Journal of Obesity, can positively impact an individual's eating behaviour.
"Just knowing that you are likely to consume almost all of what you serve yourself can help you be more mindful of appropriate portion size," researchers concluded.