Being forced to clear my plate as a child caused me endless tummy trouble

Like Sanchez Manning, I was forced to clear my plate as a child (“I was brought up in a ‘clear-your-plate’ household… and it never did me any good”, Thursday 16 January).

My grandmother, who lived with us, was born in 1892 and lived through two world wars. She was Victorian and so were her attitudes. Waste was not tolerated. I was told I would have no tea until my lunch was eaten, and told to “think of the poor starving children in Africa”.

I was not a fussy eater, but have never had a big appetite. I have memories of sitting in front of my lunch plate all afternoon. Despite being a rebellious child, I would eventually cave in and always cleared my plate.

This conditioning caused me big problems later in my life. The size of meals in some restaurants means I continue eating until I feel ill. This has led to considerable digestive problems.

It was only in my late forties that I had the confidence to challenge my behaviour and realise that stuffing myself wasn’t a good choice.

I abhor waste as much as my grandmother did, so it would be good if more restaurants and takeaways offered the option of smaller meals.

Angela Comer

Clacton-on-Sea, Essex

Elisa Allen of Peta is quite right – humans are indeed the only species to routinely drink the milk of another animal (Letters: "The thought of drinking a pint of milk turns my stomach", Wednesday 15 January).

We are also the only species to style our hair, shave, use antiperspirant, wear clothes, build cities, construct machines, create art, produce literature, make musical instruments or explore space.

We should not presume to behave in the ways other animals in the natural kingdom do: humans seldom eat their own offspring, for example, but I imagine Ms Allen wouldn’t advocate for that.

The arguments in favour of vegetarianism are abundant and, in many ways, indisputable, but prefacing them with this trite, facile nonsense serves no purpose but to undermine them.

Julian Self

Wolverton, Buckinghamshire

The latest announcement by Mark Zuckerberg regarding removing fact-checkers from Meta platforms is a lesson in ruthless opportunism, rather than a daring step towards free expression ("Mark Zuckerberg has a masculine energy problem, but it’s not the one he thinks it is", Wednesday 15 January).

This decision significantly increases the risk of rampant misinformation. Studies have consistently shown that engagement-driven algorithms tend to amplify sensational content, regardless of its accuracy. Without fact-checkers, this issue will only get worse, eroding public trust and leaving billions of users vulnerable to false narratives.

Lifting restrictions on topics such as immigration and gender could lead to an increase in hate speech that harms and affects marginalised communities. This environment may become fertile ground for abuse and Islamophobia, aggravating social tension rather than promoting meaningful dialogue. Recently, my identity as a young British Muslim has felt progressively more besieged.

I humbly urge Meta to reverse this risky policy and reinstate rigorous fact-checking. For a company with such significant influence, the risk of hate is simply too high.

Sarmad Anwar

Bradford, West Yorkshire

Len Bennett (Letters: "A frank exchange of ‘prisoners’?", Wednesday 15 January) seems unaware that the majority of Palestinians in Israeli prisons are held without charge, sometimes for years.

Martin Heaton

Gatley, Cheshire

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