"wasting" food?

nm212
nm212 Posts: 570 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I grew up with the concept that you should always clean the food off your plate (because of starving children around the world, ofcourse! lol). Although, I know this is ridiculous and that no starving children will be saved if I finish all the food on my plate, I still feel guilty sometimes when I don't want to eat something that can't be saved for later use.

For example, this morning , I got an egg and cheese on a roll. I was craving it bad and had to have it! I was REALLY full after only eating half of it but I felt bad about just throwing away the other half (it's not really something you can save for the next day....that would be kind of gross)...SOOO I continued to eat the entire sandwich even though I was already FULL. Now I feel stuffed ofcourse and not great about my over-eating!

Am I being ridiculous not wanting to waste food? I know my health should come first and if I am full, I should STOP, especially being on a diet, but I just couldn't help but eat out of guilt. How do I get out of this way of thinking?
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Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Am I being ridiculous not wanting to waste food?

    Yes, though it is quite common. Why stop at the plate when there's other food on the table. Why stop their if there's food in the fridge, etc.

    Learning to eat and stop when full is the way ahead, however you do that. A hypnotherapist suggested always leaving 1/4 of the food on the plate in order to learn the behaviour.
  • girldownsouth
    girldownsouth Posts: 920 Member
    I read something on this once that's kind of stuck with me, that if you're eating more than what you need, that food is still effectively being wasted, even if you eat it, just a different kind of wasting. I do try to avoid wastage though by not buying too much, freezing extra portions etc.
  • mjcaraballo
    mjcaraballo Posts: 4
    I struggle with the same thing and was raised in the same manner of eating everything on my plate. I was also raised in a home that had no concept of portions etc. Now what I do is either share a food I really want with someone who wants or doesnt mind eating the same thing so its not wasted. Or, I ask for half portions - it is amazing how accomodating some establishments are if you just ask nicely for the "special" considerations with your order. Maybe this will help, I hope so.
  • liloldDee
    liloldDee Posts: 92 Member
    If it can be saved put it aside for later if not bin it and don't feel guilty. Picture whatever food you don't want stuck to your tummy, the bin will seem like a good idea then!!
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    It is a mantra alot of us have heard growing up. I try to make sure I keep the portions on my plate the right size because I do the same thing, if it is there I will eat it. Can you make your own roll that has the calories you want to hit and then you can have one whenever you want!
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    If you ate it even if you didn't want it...its still wasting it. If you cant bear to throw it out, I'm sure the local pigeons would appreciate a snack.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,268 Member
    Wasting food growing up in our family had to do with not eating a particular food more than cleaning the plate. We were never given huge amounts of food at any meal.......could be why 6 kids were never overweight.
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
    I read something on this once that's kind of stuck with me, that if you're eating more than what you need, that food is still effectively being wasted, even if you eat it, just a different kind of wasting. I do try to avoid wastage though by not buying too much, freezing extra portions etc.

    I like this idea. Hadn't thought of it that way before.

    If have extra food that I am not going to eat on my plate I put it in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.
  • SephiraRose
    SephiraRose Posts: 766 Member
    Try not to feel guilty.
  • Chillyfrog
    Chillyfrog Posts: 207 Member
    I read something on this once that's kind of stuck with me, that if you're eating more than what you need, that food is still effectively being wasted, even if you eat it, just a different kind of wasting. I do try to avoid wastage though by not buying too much, freezing extra portions etc.

    ^^ Agreed^^ I grew up the same way, but a long time ago I did Weight Watchers and was in a group with some amazing ladies. One of them had this saying "In your gut and out your butt", lol... Whether you throw it away or eat it, it ends up in the same place, one just has the unwanted side effect of weight gain. She also said if you have trouble, start by leaving one bite on your plate, then two and so on until you're comfortable only eating what you're hungry for. After hearing that, I kinda eased up on the need to finish everything.
  • craftywitch_63
    craftywitch_63 Posts: 829 Member
    This is why I have 5 dogs! lol
  • somefitsomefat
    somefitsomefat Posts: 445 Member
    Hello, McFly!! Leftovers!! Also, if you can, pick items that are the portion you think you can eat. Most people seem to over order because they think they want somethign so bad. Resist the urge to order the 17lb steak if you are pretty sure you're only going to eat three bites of it (especially if you're on a date ladies).
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    The way I see it... it will keep you full longer. So it's not really 'wasted' anyway.

    If it makes you go over your calories, then yeah, not good, otherwise... *shrug*
  • Chain_Ring
    Chain_Ring Posts: 753 Member
    guilt fades............
  • Angela26point2finisher
    Angela26point2finisher Posts: 105 Member
    I read something on this once that's kind of stuck with me, that if you're eating more than what you need, that food is still effectively being wasted, even if you eat it, just a different kind of wasting. I do try to avoid wastage though by not buying too much, freezing extra portions etc.

    I love this, it's so true! Wasting food in a garbage can is a lot better for your health than wasting food in your stomach. And once it's in the trash, you forget about it rather than when it's in your stomach and you spend the rest of the day feeling guilty about it.
  • schonsdragon
    schonsdragon Posts: 102 Member
    Used to think this way, clean your plate because of the starving children in --- (fill in the blank). It took me a long to learn deep inside of me that I am not wasting food by throwing it away. It will not matter to those children if I throw away food because there is no way they could get the food I am not eating nor will it help them by me eating too much, the only thing overeating does is make me feel sick and gain weight.

    I try not to waste food by over ordering but if one serving is too much for me and there is no one to split it with and it does not heat up well then it is not wasting it because I am full which was the reason for eating.
  • MagicalLeopleurodon
    MagicalLeopleurodon Posts: 623 Member
    My method wont apply to everyone, but wasting food in my house was a huge no-no. We couldnt always afford it so you gorged when it was available. Really hard to get out of after a lifetime.

    Then i started gardening. I got chickens. Cats. Dogs. That rotisserie chicken carcass in the fridge we picked at all week? Boiled into stock, meat removed, bones removed. Meat gets frozen, stocks gets canned, bones go to the compost. Not enough meat to use? Cats and dogs get it. That slimy head of lettuce? Really bad leaves get composted, wilted leaves go to the chickens. We keep a hufe bowl out for everyone to dump uneaten food in. Its a lot easier to not clean my plate when i know ill either save money on feed or add amazing nutrients into my garden.

    I had to laugh when we first started. Turns out my family produces rougly 1 gallon of food waste every two weeks, and half of that is coffee grounds.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
    My parents were the same way and though I vowed I would not do it I am doing it to my own kids.

    The fact is, they just plain waste food. I don't want to encourage eating when you are not full but it annoys me when they ask for, say, another cup of milk and then they take a sip and say, "I'm done". So I've started saying, "If you take the food you are going to eat it." I explain to them that it's not fair that the rest of us are being nice and letting them have the extra portion that the rest of us would like to eat and so if they are going to take it they had best eat it otherwise someone else would have liked to have eaten it.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    I don't feel guilty per se about the starving children. I feel guilty that I've wasted money on something I won't use. Over time, I've learned to not order/buy food that doesn't make good leftovers. Kinda the same idea as buying food or whatever that comes with less packaging. It's the concept of "pre"cycling. Choosing products that align with your values. I value frugality and not wasting food. Therefore I try to not buy food that can't be reused somehow. Nearly everything perishable in my kitchen has a potential second life.

    Ends of carrots, wilty celery, potato peels = vegetable stock
    Wrinkly spinach/greens/tomato/lemons = juice
    Dinner leftovers = tomorrow's lunch
    Too much milk, bread, yogurt, shredded cheese? = put it in the freezer to save
    etc.

    And when eating out, I really try to make sure to get only what I'll eat or make sure it's something that easily turns into leftovers or can find a second life in a future meal.
  • Swiftdogs
    Swiftdogs Posts: 328 Member
    I was raised the same way, including having to take some of everything in addition to cleaning my plate. I'm also cheap, so passing up free food is a challenge (and there are donuts in the breakroom). But breaking those mindsets is part of the training I'll need to keep the weight off. I've come far enough to take one bite of something, and if I don't particularly like it (or need it to make my macros), into the trash it goes.
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    If you ate it even if you didn't want it...its still wasting it. If you cant bear to throw it out, I'm sure the local pigeons would appreciate a snack.

    haha true!
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    When my mom would use the "starving children" line, I would ask for a box so I could send the food I didn't want to them. Think of the trash as a box going to India, China, or whatever country your mother invoked.
  • dandelyon
    dandelyon Posts: 620 Member
    I read something on this once that's kind of stuck with me, that if you're eating more than what you need, that food is still effectively being wasted, even if you eat it, just a different kind of wasting. I do try to avoid wastage though by not buying too much, freezing extra portions etc.

    That is my philosophy, too. I try to cook stuff that keeps well as leftovers.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    If you were "really full" after eating only half of it, it doesn't sound like you were particularly hungry to begin with. Perhaps the solution here would have been to not start snacking on it in the first place.
  • cookiealbright
    cookiealbright Posts: 605 Member
    Yep, know what you mean. That's why I have 2 dogs, they also help clean the floor when the grandbabies come over and throw/drop/spill food on the floor. When my kids were growing up we had a goat to give leftover vegetables to. We also feed 3 stray cats & the birds. If you feel guilty about wasting food, donate to your local food bank. We are too fat and some kids (localally) are going to bed hungry.
  • cookiealbright
    cookiealbright Posts: 605 Member
    I don't feel guilty per se about the starving children. I feel guilty that I've wasted money on something

    That's a shame...
  • lthames0810
    lthames0810 Posts: 722 Member
    I remember the "starving children" argument being used to shame us about being ungratefull brats about the food our parents bought and prepared at great expense and effort. I kind of thought, at the time, that my mom was being wasteful for making the vegetables in the first place when she knew her kids didn't like them.

    The wasteful part comes when you over buy or over order food that you will neither eat nor save. The shaming stuck and to this day, I don't buy a lot of food at one time. Especially fresh meat and vegetables, I buy them the same day I cook them. (Our refrigerator looks empty most of the time and I'm teased about how quickly we would starve if some calamity cut us off from a grocery store.)
  • WhiteRabbit1313
    WhiteRabbit1313 Posts: 1,091 Member
    So, I grew up with the concept that you should always clean the food off your plate (because of starving children around the world, ofcourse! lol). Although, I know this is ridiculous and that no starving children will be saved if I finish all the food on my plate, I still feel guilty sometimes when I don't want to eat something that can't be saved for later use.

    For example, this morning , I got an egg and cheese on a roll. I was craving it bad and had to have it! I was REALLY full after only eating half of it but I felt bad about just throwing away the other half (it's not really something you can save for the next day....that would be kind of gross)...SOOO I continued to eat the entire sandwich even though I was already FULL. Now I feel stuffed ofcourse and not great about my over-eating!

    Am I being ridiculous not wanting to waste food? I know my health should come first and if I am full, I should STOP, especially being on a diet, but I just couldn't help but eat out of guilt. How do I get out of this way of thinking?

    I had to get over this one. I try to take smaller portions, whenever possible, and save the rest for someone else. My co-workers give me hell about cutting off an 1/8 of a donut, but, if all I want is a bite, I figure it's better to save the 7/8 for someone else, than toss it...even though donuts are mega cheap food. But, if I can't leave it for someone else, I figure that me eating the food won't feed the starving children in foreign countries, so why do it?
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    If you were "really full" after eating only half of it, it doesn't sound like you were particularly hungry to begin with. Perhaps the solution here would have been to not start snacking on it in the first place.

    That makes no sense. If you order something that comes in a very large portion and don't eat more than half of it, you weren't really hungry? Judging by that, I haven't been hungry any time I've eaten at a restaurant in almost a year now because I pretty much always get a box for the other half or so of my meal.
  • WhiteRabbit1313
    WhiteRabbit1313 Posts: 1,091 Member
    If you were "really full" after eating only half of it, it doesn't sound like you were particularly hungry to begin with. Perhaps the solution here would have been to not start snacking on it in the first place.

    That makes no sense. If you order something that comes in a very large portion and don't eat more than half of it, you weren't really hungry? Judging by that, I haven't been hungry any time I've eaten at a restaurant in almost a year now because I pretty much always get a box for the other half or so of my meal.

    Agreed. I sometimes only eat a 1/4 or a 1/3 of my meal when dining out, and it's plenty for me! I do try to order things that will re-heat well, in those cases, though. If not, I figure that I "do my part" 98% of the time, so I only have 2% guilt.

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