When I was growing up, I never left food on my late.

I spent my entire childhood as a scrawny growing boy hoping to bulk up for the football field, so I couldn’t afford to miss out on any calories.

Fast forward to present day, and the story is very different. I’m still fairly active and I have a relatively fast metabolism, but I’d pack on weight in a hurry if I ate like I used to.

Thus, I’m much more conscious about my diet now.

I pick and choose when to treat myself, and I primarily focus on healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

Yet, I struggle to kick the scavenger mentality I grew up with.

When someone puts food on my plate, you can almost guarantee that I’ll finish it. It doesn’t matter if I’m at a restaurant, in my house, or out for a dessert.

Something deep inside me tells me to clear the plate.

Obviously, this ties back to my mindset as I was growing up, but why do I still accept it?

My focus now should be on quality of food, not quantity. If I leave half of a piece of pie, so be it. I’d be better off letting that go to waste than putting it in my body.

It almost sounds silly to write, but these types of adjustments don’t come easily.

We’re often so quick to accept a heuristic in our life, but we’re not so diligent in determining when that heuristic has overserved its purpose.

-Brandon