Don't Waste Food?

quarterhorseygirl

I was raised with, and have always had, the mentality not to let anything go to waste. You eat what's put in front of you, and you don't throw perfectly good food away. Obviously, this can be damaging when trying to avoid eating things when nobody else will. I've spent plenty of time feeling guilty because I'd rather eat something not good for me than watch it get thrown out.

I can't be this way anymore and since I've JUST re-started being more careful with what goes in my mouth, there are items we have that aren't finished yet that I'm going to need to decide what to do about/with. For unopened, still fresh items I know they can be given to someone else or donated, depending on what it is. I'm talking about those oddball things that are still good but maybe not appropriate to give away or donate (recently opened bags of pizza rolls, partially eaten foods, etc.).

There are so many different thoughts I have about this and wouldn't mind some other thoughts on this. I can't be the only one that's faced this part of getting started.

How did you reconcile this sort of thing?

Terytha

If I can't eat it today, chances are good I can eat it tomorrow.

Otherwise I compost. I feel less bad about changing my food into plant food and making the garden bloom than just tossing stuff in the trash.

MikePTY

quarterhorseygirl wrote: »

I was raised with, and have always had, the mentality not to let anything go to waste. You eat what's put in front of you, and you don't throw perfectly good food away. Obviously, this can be damaging when trying to avoid eating things when nobody else will. I've spent plenty of time feeling guilty because I'd rather eat something not good for me than watch it get thrown out.

I can't be this way anymore and since I've JUST re-started being more careful with what goes in my mouth, there are items we have that aren't finished yet that I'm going to need to decide what to do about/with. For unopened, still fresh items I know they can be given to someone else or donated, depending on what it is. I'm talking about those oddball things that are still good but maybe not appropriate to give away or donate (recently opened bags of pizza rolls, partially eaten foods, etc.).

There are so many different thoughts I have about this and wouldn't mind some other thoughts on this. I can't be the only one that's faced this part of getting started.

How did you reconcile this sort of thing?

To be honest, I think not letting anything go to waste is a good thing to reach for, but more important is to get yourself on the right track in regards to controlling what you eat. So one big purge, even if some of it ends up in the garbage, is perfectly fine. Then going forward, you can try your best to only buy things you are going to eat, to reduce waste. Some level of waste is always inevitable, so I am a big believe of having some grace with yourself and just doing the best you can, when you can. But I wouldn't harm your progress just so you can feel like you won't be wasteful.

echmain3

I know the amount of calories I want for each meal so I prepare and eat exactly that. No leftovers.

kshama2001

I save bits of meat and veggies which aren't big enough for a meal on their own to add to eggs. I could also freeze them for soup.

If something was lost in the frig and no longer edible, I compost it. I try to avoid this by labeling and not having a stuffed frig.

I just started using this composter. It took my OH about an hour to assemble it: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B077972KCR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



I've previously had the type that don't turn and they take FOREVER. Curious to see how quickly this one composts.

I got some Jobe's Organics Compost Starter to get the process going, but I have composted without it. It was 70% off; couldn't pass that up.

littlegreenparrot1

Can any of it be frozen, wrapped up tightly in the fridge, dry stuff can often be kept sealed up in the cupboard?

Full disclosure - I have a very relaxed attitude to dates on food. If it looks, smells, and tastes ok I will generally eat it.
(Am more cautious with meat/ fish).

If it's stuff you can't leave alone though, I would just ditch it. I no longer keep biscuits in the house!

glassyo

I leave things out for the homeless on a bus stop bench or two near my apt and it doesn't even matter if the package is open or closed. I don't like wasting money and they need the calories more than I do and *I* know it's safe for them to eat at least. That food has yet to stay in one place more than 20 mins after leaving it out.

kshama2001

echmain3 wrote: »

I know the amount of calories I want for each meal so I prepare and eat exactly that. No leftovers.

I don't do this for preparing meals, but I do this for serving myself - I've been logging long enough that I know how much food will fill me up. So there are no leftovers on my plate.

poisonesse

Ah I was raised the exact same way, along with "what you throw out today, you'll need tomorrow!" The way I've gotten around it is to cut way back on the amounts I cook. You can't waste what you didn't prepare. I cook for two, so my portions are usually just "cut that recipe in half". If it's in the fridge? For us, it's easy. Left overs (that 1/2 of onion or pepper, or the 1/2 pound of meat left over because I didn't break a one pound pack into 2 packs before freezing) become the next day's meal. Works great with veggies, meat, you name it. My last "trick"... if it's going to be hard to not overindulge then don't bring it into the house. OH, and I'll also cook, divide into portions, and freeze what we won't eat that day. I have a suck and seal (read that as FoodSaver or Seal-a-Meal) which SERIOUSLY prevents freezer burn, so my frozen food will stay safe and delish for years. Works for us!

zeejane4

We utilize a lot of leftovers, either eating them within a couple days or freezing them for later.

I did recently do a cupboard clean out since I'm switching to a lower carb way of eating, from a mostly plant focused style of eating, and donated a bag of unopened grains, beans etc to a local food pantry (things my family wouldn't eat).

I also threw a few things away, mostly opened bottles of higher carb condiments and such, that my family wouldn't eat and I no longer care to. It cleared out space for new items and it wasn't worth saving the few dollars worth of food.

kshama2001

littlegreenparrot1 wrote: »

Can any of it be frozen, wrapped up tightly in the fridge, dry stuff can often be kept sealed up in the cupboard?

Full disclosure - I have a very relaxed attitude to dates on food. If it looks, smells, and tastes ok I will generally eat it.
(Am more cautious with meat/ fish).

If it's stuff you can't leave alone though, I would just ditch it. I no longer keep biscuits in the house!

Ya, I'd forgotten some plain yogurt in the downstairs frig. The Best By date was 4 months ago. Been eating it with no issues. (Fruit on the bottom yogurt doesn't stay good like this IMO.)

I also cooked and ate with no issues some refrigerated biscuit dough that was a few months past its date as well.

I'm with you on being more cautious with meat. https://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16787 recommends eating cooked chicken within 3-4 days - I will push it to 5-6 days.

mortuseon_

Just remember that if you are eating it purely to use it up, you're still 'wasting' it - it's just being wasted as additional calories rather than going into the bin, into the compost etc. It is already made and purchased. I'd try and fit as much of it into your calorie goals as possible and compost the rest. You could also meal prep with it and put that into the freezer for a rainy day.

MikePfirrman

I struggle with this too. To be completely honest, when I go to the grocery store without my wife, it helps a ton!

Plan your meals carefully. We plan leftovers even. Buy a juicer (using the pulp for compost. I've even made dog biscuits out of the fiber). Juicers are great for veggies that are past their prime.

My biggest challenge these days is I've just moved to mesh, reusable produce bags. I'm really trying to avoid all plastic, which is pretty much impossible, but I'm determined to lessen my footprint (especially now that we know most of the plastic ends up in the ocean and recycling is a myth). Leafy produce doesn't keep the best in reusable bags. I'm probably going to have to switch to some of those large vegetable "keeper" bins that stay in your fridge.

When fruit starts getting old, we freeze in bags (need to switch those too to reusable containers). We often have Vegan protein shakes and the older fruit is great in those.

Biggest thing is sticking to your meal plan, by far, for us.

VioletRojo

I eat a lot of leftovers, but, honestly, I think it's more wasteful to eat more than your body needs than it is to throw food away. It's actively harming your body if you eat more food than you need to avoid throwing food away. I feel like I'm not articulating my thoughts very well, but, to me, my health is more important than the wastefulness of throwing food away.

cwolfman13

Some waste is inevitable...

But, my wife and I buy what we're going to consume. When we cook, we cook enough for that meal or to have leftovers for lunch in the next day or two. We don't typically have an issue with produce going bad as we eat a lot of it and usually run out before grocery day...but in the event that it looks like things could start to spoil we will make a stew or throw those handful of mushrooms into an omelette, etc. We clean out plates, but what is on our plate is the serving we've allotted ourselves...we don't overfill our plates.

neldabg

glassyo wrote: »

I leave things out for the homeless on a bus stop bench or two near my apt and it doesn't even matter if the package is open or closed. I don't like wasting money and they need the calories more than I do and *I* know it's safe for them to eat at least. That food has yet to stay in one place more than 20 mins after leaving it out.

How are you sure that people aren't just throwing out what may look like forgotten food or trash? Do you watch every once in a while? I personally throw away litter when I can, and now I'm wondering if I have ever ruined a person's act of kindness.

quarterhorseygirl

Wow, thank you for all of the feedback! It definitely seems like composting is a thing to consider, and I do a little gardening so it certainly would be useful. I am also a big fan of meal planning, we did this already (we just didn't plan the healthiest of stuff lol) so that will help me moving forward, just need to come up with more healthy recipes.

I've adopted a 'serving size only' sort of thought process when it comes to my meals, just to get a sort of feel for the actual serving size measurements again and to learn what fills me, what doesn't, etc so it'll be interesting to see if having leftovers (i.e. got full before my plate emptied, not the 'I cooked for two nights worth' kind)will be a thing.

I really like the thought that it's still wasteful to just eat the 'bad/junk' foods because they're just turning into calories that I need to worry about burning back off potentially. I think I'm also going to have to get familiar with proper ways of freezing items too. I like the idea of shopping and breaking things down to a portion size/useable size (whatever applies depending on if it's an ingredient or an actual item to be prepared) and freezing what there's excess of instead of risking it going bad.

glassyo

neldabg wrote: »

glassyo wrote: »

I leave things out for the homeless on a bus stop bench or two near my apt and it doesn't even matter if the package is open or closed. I don't like wasting money and they need the calories more than I do and *I* know it's safe for them to eat at least. That food has yet to stay in one place more than 20 mins after leaving it out.

How are you sure that people aren't just throwing out what may look like forgotten food or trash? Do you watch every once in a while? I personally throw away litter when I can, and now I'm wondering if I have ever ruined a person's act of kindness.

I'm weird and glance in the trash cans next to the benches every once in a while when I'm walking by again. I mean, it could be kids taking it too. I *do* leave a lot of "crap" foods like chips and cookies and once I'd bought a bag of Smarties and Dum Dums because I used to like Smarties but then realized I didn't anymore so I separated those out from the Dum Dums (and the flavors of Dum Dums I didn't like) and left them on the bench.

tess5036

If food is waste, it is still waste regardless of whether or not you eat it the only difference is the location of that waste, either in the bin, or in your digestive system possibly creating fat.

This approach has helped me as I was brought up not to waste food

hesn92

Try to only buy what you plan to eat for one thing. Also I don’t really think it’s more wasteful to throw away extra food than it is to eat more than you need. Either way, it’s wasteful in my eyes. I feel bad about wasting food from a $$ perspective but that’s it. I also compost my leftover produce and scraps and I feel good about that. I imagine my food scraps are happy dying in the compost box lol

AmberVazq

Was our generations because back in the great depression great grandfather/mother could barely scrape up enough food for the whole family someone tossing a whole plate that a sibling who sacrificed theirs so the younger ones/breastfeeding mom could eat larger portions needed it to be able to work. A waste of something as simple as a bone meant no soup for the tiny tots.They even used the skins of lemons/apples/etc cause everything counted. Their kids saw this didn’t think oh depression over we can toss the plate of uneaten corn from Tiny Tim. So it continues even today to be thought.

Try what we do now food stays healthy n the pots y pans even Tupperware everyone gets a small calorie appropriate portion if still hungry they can grab another spoonful. Our plates now are bigger than our great great grandparents had. We now call their plates the salad plate lol. I have started filling up 1/3-1/2 a plate only then if baby who I bought a special baby portion control plate for isn’t going to eat his macaroni then I ask myself am I still hungry? No - Save for dinner,Tupperware,toss,give to someone else in the house who’s hungry still,animals, compost,recycling bin.

Baby didn’t finish the cookie put the bowl cookie in it inside a large Tupperware place in counter reoffer it in the morning.