Hate wasting food

RoosterB

I've thought a lot about this over the last few days since joining this site. I think the big problem I have with food is I hate waste. I have two boys the youngest now 11, but I just think of the number of times over the years I've finished my meal and then scooped up some of the leftovers they haven't even touched. It's just the thought of throwing away food that some people in the world have never been fortunate to even see. My Dad did the same and called himself the 'human dustbin'.
Am I mad or do others feel the same? And if so, how do you get around it?

RoosterB

ZebraHead

Leftovers - covered and placed in frig for consumption at a later time...


I should add that I will snag food off my wife's or son's plate when they are done. But I don't 'clean' their plates...

cdubz1991

I have the same problem!!! I don't think it's like OCD or soemthing but sometimes when I see my plate or my boyfriend's have a few things left on it i'll snag it and eat it up even if I'm full! I feel like a human garbage disposal

ajbeans

Put them in the fridge for later. Or, if you know they continually waste food, don't put so much on their plates. I've discovered that if I just put the food in serving bowls on the table, the kids will ask for what they want, and it's usually pretty balanced. I give them small portions, and allow them to have seconds if they're still hungry. Then keep the leftovers in the fridge for lunch tomorrow (except veggies -- those get drained and put in a large container in the freezer, and when I get enough I use them for vegetable soup). Easy peasy. No waste, and you don't have to overeat.

mzurn

You are not mad, I feet the same way until someone told me that either way the food is wasted. It either gets wasted going in the trash or it gets wasted by putting lbs. on your body. That made a lot of sence to me so now every time my kids have food left on their plates I just tell myself that it is wasted either way. The same is true when eating out and the portion size is too large. I use to feel like I needed to eat everything on my plate but now I realize that either way the food is wasted. I hope this helps.

smokesone

Me to!!! I have tried hard to not do it and the two labs we have are reallty enjoying the extra bits in their complete dog food!!!

ajbeans

Also, you have to realize that by you putting that food in the trash, you are not taking food from those starving orphans. That food was never going to go to them. It came to your grocery store. If you didn't buy it, someone else would have. If nobody bought it, the store would throw it out. You're not taking anything away from the people who don't have enough. If you feel guilty about the people who go hungry, take some canned goods down to your local food bank. Or if you have a soup kitchen nearby, ask if you can donate items or prepared foods to be served there, and give some of your time once in a while to help serve. Take the kids with you. Good for everyone.

mamaredhead

If you usually put the food on their plates, try drastically reducing the amounts. Give them seconds and thirds, if they like, or none, if they don't need it. Don't try to talk them into "finishing their plates", since that's one of the biggest mistakes you can make in health-education and it will teach them that overeating is good. (THAT you probably knew by now!)

One or the other meal thrown away every once in a while is no reason for panic. Think about all the garage-stuff you throw out every year -- that adds up to much more "money" than carrots, hot dogs and mashed potatoes!!! :-)

Good luck!!

mikegohl

Isn't it really also wasting them if you eat the food and your body doesn't need the extra calories?

❤B☩❤

I agree with all the posters so far! I have found, since starting MFP and counting portion and calories, I don't have any left overs...mainly because Before I was eating more than 1 serving size of any particular food. BUT, it sounds like the kids' leftovers are the issue. What I would do is to have them take only what they want and whatever doesn't get used, put in a container for re-heating for another day. Good luck! : )

PS, Did you, by chance, go to a Parochial School? I did, and I think that's where I get my guilt of having food left over. ("Children in China are dying because of the food YOU are leaving behind.....")

Diosadealimentos

serve them smaller portions...(may require to serve them more than once but you cut down on the waste if you don't want to save it after they have been playing around with the food)

RoosterB

There are also cultural differences. I work in the US a lot and find it's normal when eating out to ask for a box to take the leftovers home. If you did that in the UK they'd tell you where to go, or find some old plastic carrier bag to wrap it in.

klacoille

One thing to keep in mind if you think you are "wasting" it, is that if your body doesn't really need the food, that's a waste as well. If you are trying to eat healthier being a human garbage pail is wasteful to your body. And if you feel that guilty about the "starving kids" why not donate a penny to a non-profit that brings food and water to poorer countries for every calorie you DON"T eat by throwing it away!! Just a suggestion. Keep up the good work.

Painten

If you know there will be left overs, give your kids smaller portions so there will be little or none left.

wickedcricket

tell yourself it's more important to live a long life than to eat the kid's left overs. Perhaps you're over-serving them? many ppl do. Give them a modest portion of everything - request that they at least TRY it and there will be less left over.
Give them a healthy afternoon snack - like an apple or banana - in the afternoons. No snacks before dinner & no soda. Also a little exercise before dinner might stimulate their appetite.
I never had too much trouble once my kids got to be teenagers, they ate everything in sight. I lost weight like crazy cause the kids ate everything in the house LOL

swaymyway

There are also cultural differences. I work in the US a lot and find it's normal when eating out to ask for a box to take the leftovers home. If you did that in the UK they'd tell you where to go, or find some old plastic carrier bag to wrap it in.

There was a thread about this on another weight loss forum the other day and as a Brit it was interesting to see how normal it is to get left overs from a restaurant in the States, as you say it's not really common over here and if you asked you'd probably get some funny looks and they wouldn't have the boxes/bags whatever to put it in any way. Having said that I'd estimate American portions are at least double the size of ours!

But yes I'm the same, hate waste when it comes to food - my other half is the opposite so it's a problem. Like if we go to make something with potatoes and one has a bad bit on it, he'll throw it straight in the bin whereas I'd chop off the bad bit and use the rest (as long as it's A OK, I don't eat bad food!!) etc
I'll also save the leftovers from a meal for the next day...even if I didn't enjoy the meal!
I have no idea why I'm like this as we're not 'poor' and can afford the food and I never grew up with any food issues as a kid etc. I guess I just don't like waste!

sunkisses

Also, you have to realize that by you putting that food in the trash, you are not taking food from those starving orphans. That food was never going to go to them. It came to your grocery store. If you didn't buy it, someone else would have. If nobody bought it, the store would throw it out. You're not taking anything away from the people who don't have enough.

To me, this is the most obviously correct answer.

It almost sounds like you're working from something your parents said when you were little to get you to clear your plate so you wouldn't complain of hunger later on. The problem doesn't even make sense when you understand the reality of it. They're 2 separate problems. 1) World hunger 2) Leftovers. They don't come from the same place.

GrandmaJody

I like to ask myself "waste?" or "waist?"

Ajontheguitar

I NEVER waste food. Save it or eat it usually. Not a morally indignant decision.

Merely habit.

FaithsVegWorkout

I try not to go crazy buying fruit and vegetables at one time. My issue is stuff goes bad before I used it. Now, I only think about what I'll use in the next 2-3 days instead. It has helped, but stuff still goes bad sometimes.

ziggy932

Really? That's interesting. I just brought some left overs home last night. I can't get myself to just throw food away when so many people in the world are starving - it just seems wrong.

...............Recycle, recycle, recycle - even food. There's enough people on the street you can share your left overs with - I say box em up, and give em away if you don't want them. ......................................Thank you, and have a nice day.

jessradtke

I like to ask myself "waste?" or "waist?"

Love this! Do I let food to go to waste, or go to MY waist? That's great!

I used to have trouble with my kids "wasting" food too, but I've gotten over it. I've figured out that food never actually goes to waste. Nature finds a way to use it no matter what I do with it. I find that it helps me to have some control over what happens to the food even if it doesn't go in my mouth. If I'm at home, I can choose to put it away for later, feed it to my dogs, feed it to my chickens, put in on the compost pile, bury it next to a tree, etc. If I'm eating out I can choose to share a meal with my youngest child. Or I can choose to eat a salad or something light, knowing that I will end up eating what my child doesn't. There are always options. You just have to be able to get past the idea that you are "wasting" food so that you can see all the possible solutions.

P.S. I had no idea that take home containers weren't the norm in the UK. That's interesting. What would they think if you brought your own take home container?