My body is not a garbage disposal
Replies
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ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »I order what I want in restaurants and if it's calorie dense, I box up half of it before I start eating so that it looks great in the takeout box and I'm *excited* to take it to work as my lunch the next day. I've found that if I plate about 800 calories and stop eating once the food is gone, I am pleasantly full but not uncomfortable. Which is generally what I'm trying to accomplish - PLUS, I get awesome restaurant food A SECOND TIME without the second expense or having to put on pants to go fetch it.
And yes... I AM that hippie weirdo with a re-usable container in her bag for restaurant left overs. If I don't put the food in my bag, I'll forget it, and I'm not putting a crushable styrofoam container of pasta in my backpack next to my laptop. >_<
Oh, man: I need to do that! Thanks! :flowerforyou:4 -
I gotta disagree with viewing perfectly good food as 'garbage'. Such a flippant attitude when so many people don't have or can't afford enough to eat.
Obviously I'm not talking about leaving a few bits of meat or half a potato on the plate when you're full or not eating something because it doesn't taste nice, but if you're leaving food on your plate, you ARE wasting all that food by virtue of the fact that you have made/taken/ordered more than you intend to eat.7 -
I am not a garbage can, either. The only time I even consider it is on river trips when there's just a little leftovers. Putting leftovers in the cooler uses up ice, and the food typically doesn't get eaten. If it goes in the garbage, it's wasted for sure, it takes up garbage space, and it wastes food. Otherwise, if there's "extra" food, it can get saved for another time.
Throwing food away, though.... that's just wrong. We waste so much food. Even before it gets to retail, there's a lot of waste. And then when we buy it and don't use it, it's another waste. At least where I live we can put food waste of all kinds into a green waste cart that gets composted, but it's still such a waste of food. I love food. Throwing it away is not in my capacity unless I'm careless enough to let it go bad. If you order a slice of cake for dessert, either eat it or take the rest home. Landfills aren't for food. Growing food takes good soil, and that's a precious resource. Don't waste it or the water typically used for irrigation.2 -
I gotta disagree with viewing perfectly good food as 'garbage'. Such a flippant attitude when so many people don't have or can't afford enough to eat.
Obviously I'm not talking about leaving a few bits of meat or half a potato on the plate when you're full or not eating something because it doesn't taste nice, but if you're leaving food on your plate, you ARE wasting all that food by virtue of the fact that you have made/taken/ordered more than you intend to eat.
Western/affluent thinking my man.... I agree. I try to not let much go to waste....but to each their own.1 -
I don't agree with the last couple of posts.
If I order cake ( or a main meal) and it is more than I want, or I don't really like it, I don't feel obliged to finish it.
Or to take it home.
It is no more wasted by me leaving it than eating more than I want it to or taking it home if I dont want it.
Nor does it help anyone who doesn't have or can't afford food.
Far better to accept not eating everything in front of me if I don't want it and doing something actually useful for others - eg donating money to a charity feeding the homeless
Not wasting food might make me feel better but doesn't really benifit anyone.
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paperpudding wrote: »I don't agree with the last couple of posts.
If I order cake ( or a main meal) and it is more than I want, or I don't really like it, I don't feel obliged to finish it.
Or to take it home.
It is no more wasted by me leaving it than eating more than I want it to or taking it home if I dont want it.
Nor does it help anyone who doesn't have or can't afford food.
Far better to accept not eating everything in front of me if I don't want it and doing something actually useful for others - eg donating money to a charity feeding the homeless
Not wasting food might make me feel better but doesn't really benifit anyone.
Exactly this, and this was my realization that was similar to OP's.
If I eat something I am no longer enjoying (because I've eaten enough) or don't need (already had plenty) or feel that because I accidentally made too much or the restaurant portion was too large I must find a way to eat that food the next day, that's not helping anyone. I somewhat got adjusted to the restaurant thing just because I go to the theater or concerts a lot, and you can't really carry around leftovers for another 3 hours before putting them away (and wouldn't particularly want to have leftovers with you anyway), so I had to be okay with saying "no, I can't take leftovers." Some restaurants have okay portions, but so many have larger ones, and that's not my fault and doesn't mean I must eat everything.
I'm good with portion control with homemade food now, but eating it all just because I accidentally made too much (especially with pasta) and it wouldn't save well or there wasn't enough for a full second meal is something I used to do that was obviously irrational (since I wasn't even wanting to eat the rest) when I thought about it. It was treating myself like a garbage disposal -- not because the food was "garbage," but because the alternative was putting it in the garbage or down the sink disposal.
I also won't eat something just because it's there (another thing I used to do). Now I'm much more picky.
People choosing to throw away some food they cooked or bought doesn't affect scarcity. Most food waste happens at a different stage in the food chain anyway, it's not like you could donate the food (unless it's a package unopened), and me not eating a whole restaurant meal does not drive up the cost of food for others.8 -
paperpudding wrote: »I don't agree with the last couple of posts.
If I order cake ( or a main meal) and it is more than I want, or I don't really like it, I don't feel obliged to finish it.
Or to take it home.
It is no more wasted by me leaving it than eating more than I want it to or taking it home if I dont want it.
Nor does it help anyone who doesn't have or can't afford food.
Far better to accept not eating everything in front of me if I don't want it and doing something actually useful for others - eg donating money to a charity feeding the homeless
Not wasting food might make me feel better but doesn't really benifit anyone.
I have to disagree with this at least to some degree.
In the USA, nearly 40% of all food is wasted. This is a travesty. It takes energy to grow and transport food. If it's meat, even more so. Many farming practices deplete soil health. Declining soil health means lower productivity in the future. All the transport uses fuel and energy. I think we all have a responsibility to each other and to the other animals that live on our planet to do whatever we can to use resources such as energy and water efficiently and without waste. On the other end of the system, adding to landfills is detrimental to the health of the inhabitants of Earth. At least there's some progress on this where some restaurants are able to have food waste composted. At least that helps mitigate the decline in soil health if the compost is put back into the growing cycle. It seems to me that when we waste resources, we do hurt ourselves and others. Maybe just a little each time, but it adds up. Not wasting food benefits EVERYONE.
Whether or not you waste food has nothing to do with a decision to donating money to non-profits and making sure food banks have food to help those who can't afford it.
This will be my last post on this topic because I fear it may turn into a political discussion, and I don't want to participate in that on this forum. Please be considerate when ordering so you don't have to make the choice of wasting such a valuable resource as food. That's where you can avoid the waste AND avoid feeling like you're a garbage disposal.
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This is of interest: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/07/american-food-waste/491513/"What causes [the extensive food waste in the US]? A major reason is that food is cheaper in the United States than nearly anywhere else in the world, aided (controversially) by subsidies to corn, wheat, milk, and soybeans. But the great American squandering of produce appears to be a cultural dynamic as well, enabled in large part by a national obsession with the aesthetic quality of food. Fruits and vegetables, in addition to generally being healthful, have a tendency to bruise, brown, wilt, oxidize, ding, or discolor and that is apparently something American shoppers will not abide. For an American family of four, the average value of discarded produce is nearly $1,600 annually. (Globally, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that one-third of all food grown is lost or wasted, an amount valued at nearly $3 trillion. )
Writing about food waste for The Atlantic back in 2014, Elizabeth Segran gestured at both the shoppers who refuse to buy imperfect-looking fruit as well as the grocers who refuse to stock the shelves with any wonky-looking wares. “Grocery stores routinely trash produce for being the wrong shape or containing minor blemishes,” Doug Rauch, the former president of the Trader Joe’s Company, told her.
But that assumes such produce even reaches the stores. Quoting workers and experts at a variety of vantage points in the food system, The Guardian’s Suzanne Goldenberg also reports that, “Vast quantities of fresh produce grown in the U.S. are left in the field to rot, fed to livestock or hauled directly from the field to landfill, because of unrealistic and unyielding cosmetic standards.”
“In my mind, the desire for perfect produce came about in the 1940s as housewives adapted to widespread refrigeration and new CPG [consumer packaged goods] products,” Eve Turow Paul, the author of A Taste of Generation Yum, writes in an email. “Suddenly, you could get a pineapple in Chicago in January. Wonderbread hit shelves a decade before. Perfection and manicured foods came to represent safety and new technology.”
So focusing on not eating all of your Chinese food as something that's going to lead to bad effects is focusing on the wrong part of the problem, especially when the customer in many cases cannot control the size of the portion, and foods not sold will likely end up disposed of by the restaurant anyway.5 -
I find (for me, personally) that I am "The Garbage Man," and saying otherwise is (again, for me personally) shaming me for wanting sweets and maybe overindulging sometimes. Should I do it? No, and I know some people would disagree with me entirely, and tell me I shouldn't ever do that. There are should's and could's and maybe would's.
Plus, on the flip side... The Garbage Man has a job to do, and must be quite fit to lift the cans, for someone who takes all of our garbage.
For that, I do save leftovers if I can. I hate wasting food but that's a mix of being a full-time student who's otherwise unemployed, growing up that way, and in general hate the waste cycle. (Yes, The Garbage Man's entire occupation is built on a system of waste.) But it also means I don't order take out, or go out to restaurants. I try to make my meals somewhat healthy so leftovers aren't some horrible mistake that I would then be ashamed of.
It's all personal choice, so if you don't agree with me in the slightest, I have no judgments. It's all what works for each of us.2 -
I read the original post as more of a metaphor. If I had chinese leftovers in the fridge, I used to obsess over them and eat them when I wasn't hungry, and in addition to my regular meals, not in place of. I honestly think this is just as wasteful as throwing it away. When humans eat way more food than they need, or restaurants choose to serve 4 serving size portions instead of 1, it's all wasteful. Putting water on tables before asking the guests if they want it is wasteful. A parent shouldn't feel guilty about not finishing 2 lunches, one that was theirs and one that they made for their toddler throwing a fit who doesn't want to eat all of the sudden.6
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paperpudding wrote: »I don't agree with the last couple of posts.
If I order cake ( or a main meal) and it is more than I want, or I don't really like it, I don't feel obliged to finish it.
Or to take it home.
It is no more wasted by me leaving it than eating more than I want it to or taking it home if I dont want it.
Nor does it help anyone who doesn't have or can't afford food.
Far better to accept not eating everything in front of me if I don't want it and doing something actually useful for others - eg donating money to a charity feeding the homeless
Not wasting food might make me feel better but doesn't really benifit anyone.
I have to disagree with this at least to some degree.
In the USA, nearly 40% of all food is wasted. This is a travesty. It takes energy to grow and transport food. If it's meat, even more so. Many farming practices deplete soil health. Declining soil health means lower productivity in the future. All the transport uses fuel and energy. I think we all have a responsibility to each other and to the other animals that live on our planet to do whatever we can to use resources such as energy and water efficiently and without waste. On the other end of the system, adding to landfills is detrimental to the health of the inhabitants of Earth. At least there's some progress on this where some restaurants are able to have food waste composted. At least that helps mitigate the decline in soil health if the compost is put back into the growing cycle. It seems to me that when we waste resources, we do hurt ourselves and others. Maybe just a little each time, but it adds up. Not wasting food benefits EVERYONE.
Whether or not you waste food has nothing to do with a decision to donating money to non-profits and making sure food banks have food to help those who can't afford it.
This will be my last post on this topic because I fear it may turn into a political discussion, and I don't want to participate in that on this forum. Please be considerate when ordering so you don't have to make the choice of wasting such a valuable resource as food. That's where you can avoid the waste AND avoid feeling like you're a garbage disposal.
I can appreciate what you are saying. Restaurants in the US serve such huge portion sizes it is almost impossible for the average person to finish everything. Do we really need a huge plate of food?
My first awareness of this is when I went to Australia. The portion sizes were adequate. I was satisfied and not overstuffed and I was able to eat everything on my plate. In reverse my Australian friend came to the US and was shocked and awed at how much food she was served. She kept saying it's impossible for her to eat everything.
So maybe we can control the waste by controlling the amount of food served. IJS6 -
My grandparents were Great Depression survivors and fanatics about conserving food. So my parents were raised that way, and to a degree, so was I. On top of that, the military's "take what you want, but eat what you take" was hammered into me after I left home. Scrape viable food into the garbage in front of your drill sergeant and you were in for an uncomfortable conversation.
Now, I honestly think it is more dangerous as a society to eat food you don't need instead of throwing it out, given the fact that the US is over 70% overweight or obese. Every effort should be made to get the correct portions on your plate, but if you have too much, eating just to avoid waste is unhealthy. Throw it away and try harder to get the portion right next time.
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This has become one of my mantras. A little rule that keeps me from eating the leftover Chinese food in the fridge. It keeps me from eating every last french fry on the plate long after I'm full. It keeps me from eating crappy break room donuts just because they're there and they're free.
"My body is not a garbage disposal" has saved me from a lot of wasted calories that I used to consume just because something was sitting in front of me. I had to get comfortable with throwing away food. If I order dessert and it's just meh, I don't finish it. I don't bring it home. Because, duh, I'm not a garbage disposal. Somehow, it's helped me really identify what's "worth" eating and recognize when I'm actually full vs. just on auto pilot and shoveling food in.
Since I've started using this mantra, the amount of times I've looked at a plate of food and been like, "Ya know, I don't have to finish this." has been, honestly, eye opening.
What little "rules" and mantras have helped you in your journey?
This post has really opened my eyes and got me thinking. Thank you.2 -
Now, while I agree with OP's meaning of her statement. Dont eat it just because it's there, there is usually someone who will. I worked on the back of a restaurant several times over the years. People would be shocked how much goes to the hogs. I will take left overs to work or family. I have noticed putting a sticker that says free on something in the work fridges, it's gone within hours.6
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I come from a farm and we worked hard to not waste food. Then I married my husband and moved to Italy. His mother went through WW2 and didn't throw food out. Many times it was recycled into another dish. I've found that it takes planning not to waste food and I do my best to cook the right amount for 4 adults twice a day. When going to a restaurant my husband and I have it down to a science. We split meals and especially deserts. It's almost a game now to finish up satisfied with no leftovers.8
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My mantra has been: “food is fuel.” I keep reminding myself when I want to reach for a bag of chips which provide lousy fuel.
I like this OPs mantra for several reasons.
Most importantly, it helps reinforce a positive body image and sense of health. An amazing human body should not be used as a garbage disposal to eat something just because it is there.
Additionally, it helps with portion control and how much food to prepare or order. If you eat it, you’ll likely eat it again the next time it’s there. If you pass on it or throw it away you’re likely to think about volume next go around. A good way to help break the cycle.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »I don't have any mantras but I get mad at my husband when he says "You're wasting all that food"
"I tell him this why there is an obesity problem in the US we were raised to FINISH everything on our plates!!" Leave me alone. If I say I am full that means I am full it doesn't matter what's left on my plate.
As an aside, I don't think that's the reason for the obesity problem in the US.
It doesn't help
I grew up pretty poor, especially in my early youth when my dad was still in school during the day and working nights in a psyche hospital as a janitor. We cleaned our plates and did not have the financial luxury to just throw away food. I can remember Thursday evening dinners right before payday being a slice of toasted rye bread topped with sauerkraut...and to make it a little more palatable to my sister and I, my mom would put some ketchup on top.
I have always cleaned my plate and still do...so do my wife and kids. None of us are obese in the least. Our plates consist of what we will eat. Leftovers are eaten for lunches or other dinners and/or recycled into other dishes. I am fortunate to be financially well set, but I still don't waste and I teach my kids the same. Food is eaten, lights go off when nobody is in the room, t.v. is off if nobody is watching, etc.10 -
I don't think I have a mantra, but if I did, it would be something like: "Whether you eat the lettuce-wrapped burger or the one with the bun, and order a side salad or a side of fries, and drink water or a beer, in four-five hours you'll be brushing your teeth and going to bed, and not taste either anymore. But you'll sleep better knowing you made the smarter choice and didn't overload on nighttime carbs."
A bit too long-winded for a mantra! I need a copy editor.
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Bry_Fitness70 wrote: »Every effort should be made to get the correct portions on your plate, but if you have too much, eating just to avoid waste is unhealthy. Throw it away and try harder to get the portion right next time.
Exactly. Having leftovers means there's a planning issue further up the chain. Try to get it more accurate next time, and then there won't be an issue.
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paperpudding wrote: »I don't agree with the last couple of posts.
If I order cake ( or a main meal) and it is more than I want, or I don't really like it, I don't feel obliged to finish it.
Or to take it home.
It is no more wasted by me leaving it than eating more than I want it to or taking it home if I dont want it.
Nor does it help anyone who doesn't have or can't afford food.
Far better to accept not eating everything in front of me if I don't want it and doing something actually useful for others - eg donating money to a charity feeding the homeless
Not wasting food might make me feel better but doesn't really benifit anyone.
I have to disagree with this at least to some degree.
In the USA, nearly 40% of all food is wasted. This is a travesty. It takes energy to grow and transport food. If it's meat, even more so. Many farming practices deplete soil health. Declining soil health means lower productivity in the future. All the transport uses fuel and energy. I think we all have a responsibility to each other and to the other animals that live on our planet to do whatever we can to use resources such as energy and water efficiently and without waste. On the other end of the system, adding to landfills is detrimental to the health of the inhabitants of Earth. At least there's some progress on this where some restaurants are able to have food waste composted. At least that helps mitigate the decline in soil health if the compost is put back into the growing cycle. It seems to me that when we waste resources, we do hurt ourselves and others. Maybe just a little each time, but it adds up. Not wasting food benefits EVERYONE.
Whether or not you waste food has nothing to do with a decision to donating money to non-profits and making sure food banks have food to help those who can't afford it.
This will be my last post on this topic because I fear it may turn into a political discussion, and I don't want to participate in that on this forum. Please be considerate when ordering so you don't have to make the choice of wasting such a valuable resource as food. That's where you can avoid the waste AND avoid feeling like you're a garbage disposal.
I didn't say wasting food has anything to do with donating money to charities - I said instead of finishing everything on your plate in some misguided But children are starving in Africa! Thing - do something that actually benefits children in Africa ( or the equivalent) by donating to Save the children or a foodbank or something.
Make a planned decision to do domething that actually benefits them.
Eating or not eating leftovers doesn't benifit anyone.
And of course aim to not have leftovers. - but I can't always control how much a restaurant serves me or how filling it will be or whether I will like it
Some factors at home are unavoidable too.
Where I live all leftover food goes in green bin, not to land fill.
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To be clear I'm not advocating the idea that you must overeat just because the food is there. Clearly that's not appropriate or wise. And I'm also not talking about leaving scraps of food on the plate because you're full.
I get that sometimes servings are excessive but, my objection was to viewing that excess food as 'garbage'. To use the example that the leftovers in the fridge should be wasted and thrown out as 'garbage' when there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.
When eating out, order a 'half serve'. Even if they're going to charge you full price you're just gonna throw it out anyway so it's not different to you or share the meal with someone else. And if you're cooking then only buy/make a reasonable amount.
I'm also not much of an advocate of moralising food choices as 'good', 'bad', etc so the idea of labelling any particular food as 'garbage' or 'junk' doesn't sit right with me but that's just a personal thing.6 -
In response to all the food waste talk- I also have a personal issue with wasting food. Luckily my husband, friends and I have similar tastes and tend to share food, so we rarely order/cook more than we can eat. We also enjoy eating leftovers. I am the queen of cooking for a week, portioning it out and freezing it. When I'm craving the kind of sweets that require preparing or buying a large amount (rare) I will bring it to work to share.
OP- I love your mantra and am happy it's working for you. My personal mantra is, these habits are for life. I am not on a "diet," and I'm not restricting just so I can way overindulge at a later date. I've established habits that I intend to continue for as long as I live. That mindset has gotten me through scale fluctuations, special events, holidays, stressful situations and other things that would have derailed me a few years ago. Now that my habits are established, I don't have to worry about falling off the wagon. There is no more wagon.3 -
To be clear I'm not advocating the idea that you must overeat just because the food is there. Clearly that's not appropriate or wise. And I'm also not talking about leaving scraps of food on the plate because you're full.
I get that sometimes servings are excessive but, my objection was to viewing that excess food as 'garbage'. To use the example that the leftovers in the fridge should be wasted and thrown out as 'garbage' when there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.
When eating out, order a 'half serve'. Even if they're going to charge you full price you're just gonna throw it out anyway so it's not different to you or share the meal with someone else. And if you're cooking then only buy/make a reasonable amount.
I'm also not much of an advocate of moralising food choices as 'good', 'bad', etc so the idea of labelling any particular food as 'garbage' or 'junk' doesn't sit right with me but that's just a personal thing.
I just didn't think OP was saying certain types of food are "garbage." I thought she was making the point that eating food you don't actually want, especially food that's harder to fit in a day, just because you do have restaurant leftovers or because it's on your plate is treating your body as "where I put food that needs to be disposed of" (i.e., a garbage disposal). I didn't think it was coming from a place of moralizing about food.
Re food cooked at home, I think learning to portion things out better is a process and also that it's usually easier to keep and use the leftovers.6
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