Does anyone else feel like trying not to waste food hurts their diet?
Verity1111
Posts: 3,309 Member
I am struggling sooo much right now. I was raised in a way that was extremely pushy about not wasting food. My dad used to give me the "people in Africa are starving" comment all of the time and say if it was on our plate that we should eat it. He got better later in life, but it is a bit late for that now! Lol. Now, I have left over food in the fridge that I was going to try to incorporate into my meals today and although I don't have a taste for it, I feel horrible throwing it away! I guess I should tell myself it is better to throw away food than it is to throw away my health. Is this an issue for anyone else?
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Replies
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No, my wife and I prepare what we're going to eat and put appropriate portions of food on our plates. There's nothing wrong with cleaning your plate when it is properly apportioned. We usually make 4 servings for the two of us so that we have lunch for the next day...or the day after that. Leftovers will keep for a few days.6
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I can relate a lot to what you're saying. I think it's fairly common. I haaaaaate wasting food. With that being said, most of the food I buy is stuff that I use to meal prep for the week, chicken especially. Lots and lots of chicken. I've recently gotten into the habit of keeping the food on hand until I've eaten everything (within my macros of course), but not letting it stay in my fridge little more than over a week. Other meals I cook outside of my plan is usually for my kids, and we have at least a couple of left over nights during the week. What's helped me in this area is only cooking meals no more than 3 days during the week, and then using the other days to have left overs (not a very hot ticket in our house! hahaha). This has minimized throwing so much food away for me
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Will it go off after one day?
I use left overs for lunch the next day or just have the same dinner twice in a row. Can you start freezing portions, then there will be some days you will have quick and easy meal ready prepared.0 -
You might want to think about preparing food in more reasonable portions if this is a big issue for you.3
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cwolfman13 wrote: »No, my wife and I prepare what we're going to eat and put appropriate portions of food on our plates. There's nothing wrong with cleaning your plate when it is properly apportioned. We usually make 4 servings for the two of us so that we have lunch for the next day...or the day after that. Leftovers will keep for a few days.
This would be fine if I could od it all of the time, but it doesn't happen. I am bedridden/in a wheelchair right now, recovering from ankle surgery and I can't eat all fresh food all of the time or even most. Premade food comes in a certain size. Canned soup, etc. I often used canned soup as a topping, rather than a meal, so I only use a little at a time. If Im left with half a can and can't fit it in my calories I feel guilty throwing it away. I also heated an organic veggie pizza and obviously didn't want to eat it all at once. I ate it for two meals, but still have some left. My boyfriend makes any "real" food I eat because I can't reach a lot of things in the kitchen on one leg and I'm super clumsy. He's back to work now, however, so it is harder for me, especially since we also have three kids and one with nonverbal autism. One that also has symptoms of it. I am hoping to buy a bunch of appliances once I'm in physical therapy to make cooking from scratch easier while I recover. (like a pasta maker, egg poacher, etc)0 -
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I should have made it clear that I can't cook everything from scratch. I have 3 kids already to do that for, plus I can't walk and Im supposed to not leave my bed right now and keep my leg elevated as much as possible. I have no other adults here to help except my boyfriend when he isn't working. Sorry Ill edit that in lol but yes otherwise I do usually only make one portion
Just cant right now. I stick to canned food or frozen a large percent of the time right now. My boyfriend is always exhausted. I dont really feel like making him make me a fresh meal when hes dealing with two children with autism who eat picky and my daughter and himself + me. 0 -
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I've started doing a couple things that may help you, as I have the same guilt about throwing away perfectly good food. 1) use a smaller plate. Not only is this shown to reduce the number of calories one needs to eat to feel "full" (isn't the mind a curious thing?), but it will help you avoid the guilt of throwing away a half plate of food because it was just too much for one sitting 2) I've adopted a very high protein/low carb diet. That means we have LOTS of leftover ground beef, eggs, chicken, etc laying around all the time. I find that rather than eating the same exact pasta for 3-4 meals, I much prefer to make extra chicken, box it up and mix it with something else later. Then it can become a taco, salad, omelette, pretty much anything, which helps stave off the boredom. 3) keep a couple of versatile staples in the house at all times. Mine are pre-mixed salads in a bag, spinach, and green beans. I know I will eat them, and they make a nice base for the protein. Lately I've been making ground beef topped with fried eggs served over either green beans or wilted spinach with a little sriracha. It sounds odd, but it's really tasty, low calorie, and the crazy protein content (42gm/serving) keeps you full forever.1
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I commend you for being able to care for your kids. I feel like it does get in the way. I have food in my friidge that needs to be eaten both healthy and unhealthy. I find when I get hungry enough I will eat anything so I prepare it in the best way possible and eat. Of course, I have a safety net being able to exercise when I overeat, but you can too. Nowloss.com has a lot of free workouts and some you can do in your bathroom or in a chair like shaking out a bed sheet. Keep pushing and recover well0
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Verity1111 wrote: »I should have made it clear that I can't cook everything from scratch. I have 3 kids already to do that for, plus I can't walk and Im supposed to not leave my bed right now and keep my leg elevated as much as possible. I have no other adults here to help except my boyfriend when he isn't working. Sorry Ill edit that in lol but yes otherwise I do usually only make one portion Just cant right now. I stick to canned food or frozen a large percent of the time right now. My boyfriend is always exhausted. I dont really feel like making him make me a fresh meal when hes dealing with two children with autism who eat picky and my daughter and himself + me.
I wouldn't stress about wasting food too much under those circumstances. You clearly have a lot on your plate right now (no pun intended). Just do the best to work with what you have until you get to where you want to be.0 -
I've started doing a couple things that may help you, as I have the same guilt about throwing away perfectly good food. 1) use a smaller plate. Not only is this shown to reduce the number of calories one needs to eat to feel "full" (isn't the mind a curious thing?), but it will help you avoid the guilt of throwing away a half plate of food because it was just too much for one sitting 2) I've adopted a very high protein/low carb diet. That means we have LOTS of leftover ground beef, eggs, chicken, etc laying around all the time. I find that rather than eating the same exact pasta for 3-4 meals, I much prefer to make extra chicken, box it up and mix it with something else later. Then it can become a taco, salad, omelette, pretty much anything, which helps stave off the boredom. 3) keep a couple of versatile staples in the house at all times. Mine are pre-mixed salads in a bag, spinach, and green beans. I know I will eat them, and they make a nice base for the protein. Lately I've been making ground beef topped with fried eggs served over either green beans or wilted spinach with a little sriracha. It sounds odd, but it's really tasty, low calorie, and the crazy protein content (42gm/serving) keeps you full forever.
That actually sounds great! I don't eat meat, but I have vegetarian ground crumbles that I could sub and I love fresh spinach and sriracha..I also love anything with egg on top!
Thank you for sharing! 1 -
Put things in the freezer if necessary.
No need for special appliances to make home cooking easier. I mean, make homemade pasta if you want to but it's not any easier than boxed. And an egg poacher is a novelty item; poaching eggs is really easy with a regular old cooking pot.
Overall, though, no I don't find leftovers to cause a problem with my diet. We don't have much in the way of leftovers unless we have planned to have them. We eat pretty plain food, too, so most of our dribs and drabs of leftovers just get mixed in with the dogs' dinners that night.1 -
ChampCrucial wrote: »I commend you for being able to care for your kids. I feel like it does get in the way. I have food in my fridge that needs to be eaten both healthy and unhealthy. I find when I get hungry enough I will eat anything so I prepare it in the best way possible and eat. Of course, I have a safety net being able to exercise when I overeat, but you can too. Nowloss.com has a lot of free workouts and some you can do in your bathroom or in a chair like shaking out a bed sheet. Keep pushing and recover well
Even with my kids it is hard because I want them to at least have balanced meals. I settle. I make frozen waffles in the toaster or use bread and add peanut butter and fruit. I dont have to stand and cook to do those things so its easier. I personally cant stand peanut butter or sweets much lol so it doesnt work as well for me. I can shake out a bedsheet. Sounds good to me...Lol. I def would love some workouts I can do in bed.1 -
Verity1111 wrote: »I should have made it clear that I can't cook everything from scratch. I have 3 kids already to do that for, plus I can't walk and Im supposed to not leave my bed right now and keep my leg elevated as much as possible. I have no other adults here to help except my boyfriend when he isn't working. Sorry Ill edit that in lol but yes otherwise I do usually only make one portion Just cant right now. I stick to canned food or frozen a large percent of the time right now. My boyfriend is always exhausted. I dont really feel like making him make me a fresh meal when hes dealing with two children with autism who eat picky and my daughter and himself + me.
I wouldn't stress about wasting food too much under those circumstances. You clearly have a lot on your plate right now (no pun intended). Just do the best to work with what you have until you get to where you want to be.
Thank you. I am trying. I just really feel bad. I need to toss it before I guilt myself into overeating. 1 -
I try to incorporate leftovers so we don't waste food. But if for whatever reason we don't eat it, I have no problem throwing it out. How is extra food in your stomach better than food in the trash? Eating more that you want or need IS wasting food.1
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Put things in the freezer if necessary.
No need for special appliances to make home cooking easier. I mean, make homemade pasta if you want to but it's not any easier than boxed. And an egg poacher is a novelty item; poaching eggs is really easy with a regular old cooking pot.
Overall, though, no I don't find leftovers to cause a problem with my diet. We don't have much in the way of leftovers unless we have planned to have them. We eat pretty plain food, too, so most of our dribs and drabs of leftovers just get mixed in with the dogs' dinners that night.
Oh not easier. I thought it was healthier. It was for when I start getting better, so I can eat healthier again while Im recovering. The poacher plugs into a wall outlet, so I can use it at a lower level, there is no stove needed. Plain food? I dont have a dog to give my food to. Lol. But maybe I need to give my food to someone elses dog..0 -
I try to incorporate leftovers so we don't waste food. But if for whatever reason we don't eat it, I have no problem throwing it out. How is extra food in your stomach better than food in the trash? Eating more that you want or need IS wasting food.
I guess that makes sense. I have never seen it that way. Thank you. 0 -
I second the "freeze it if you don't want to eat it" suggestion. You mentioned using a little bit of canned soup for something and then wondering what to do with the rest? Perhaps you could portion the rest into similar sizes to what you used and put it in the freezer until you want to eat it again.
I also second the "give yourself some latitude and forgiveness for not being perfect and do what you have to do to get through the day", especially when you are recovering from surgery and don't have the mobility you need. I too have two special-needs kids that are picky and I'm trying to feed them healthy foods, but sometimes I just can't do anymore that day and as long as they eat something with enough calories to keep them alive I surrender the fight, knowing tomorrow is another day and another chance to get them to eat something nutritious.1 -
Leftover soup can be frozen in an ice cube tray. Then just thaw as much as you need. Leftover fruits and vegetables can be made into a smoothie. But considering the issues you have to deal with, you shouldn't feel bad if some food gets thrown away.0
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Verity1111 wrote: »Put things in the freezer if necessary.
No need for special appliances to make home cooking easier. I mean, make homemade pasta if you want to but it's not any easier than boxed. And an egg poacher is a novelty item; poaching eggs is really easy with a regular old cooking pot.
Overall, though, no I don't find leftovers to cause a problem with my diet. We don't have much in the way of leftovers unless we have planned to have them. We eat pretty plain food, too, so most of our dribs and drabs of leftovers just get mixed in with the dogs' dinners that night.
Oh not easier. I thought it was healthier. It was for when I start getting better, so I can eat healthier again while Im recovering. The poacher plugs into a wall outlet, so I can use it at a lower level, there is no stove needed. Plain food? I dont have a dog to give my food to. Lol. But maybe I need to give my food to someone elses dog..
Lol
By plain food I meant that we tend to eat things without sauces or cheese on them so they are okay for the dogs to have.
How long will you be incapacitated?0 -
I used to struggle with food waste before, when I relied on premade food (I see you have to right now, but it will be better when you are well again) and supplied with fresh food with an "intention" to use it. Of course I wouldn't use it up, because I didn't have a plan, and I didn't know I needed a plan, and I didn't think I could plan, because I was single, and I didn't know how to prepare it to be tasty, and I was used to premade, so I believed I didn't like home cooked. I used to cook large amounts so that I'd be sure to be full, and I didn't know I wasn't supposed to eat until stuffed to be full, so I cooked even more to "be on the safe side", and then I had to throw out the rest, and I felt really bad for doing that, but it didn't occur to me that I could do it differently. I would open a package and forget when I had opened it, and avoid it until I was sure it was old enough to be thrown out without having to feel guilty. It was a mess.
Now... I plan my meals and I only plan for meals I like. I love to cook because I make delicious food. I write shopping lists based on meal plan minus inventory, and then I bring and follow list. I buy only what I am going to cook/prepare, cook just the amount I need, and eat it up. I enjoy eating and almost never have to throw out anything. I combine recipes if I have to buy a larger amount of any food, or I substitute with something I already have. I portion out perishable foods so that I eat some every day until it's gone.0 -
A weight watchers leader once told me that if you don't want to eat it or save it, consider it garbage and throw it away. So many of us were brought up not to waste and to clean our plates...I make dinner, what's left over goes in my husband's lunch, or is dinner tomorrow. If it doesn't fit into one of those 2 categories it goes into the garbage. I'm not holding on to anything longer than overnight because I know it will just go bad. I've learned to be ok with it.2
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I know just what you mean. In my case it's leftovers that my husband is tired of and won't eat. Usually I make meals that we both can eat, but on some occasions not. He'll eat his leftovers for lunch but after a couple times he's had enough. I then freeze them, but he ends up never using them. I now make myself throw them out because it is simply not worth it for my eating to get derailed because of some leftovers.0
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I try to incorporate leftovers so we don't waste food. But if for whatever reason we don't eat it, I have no problem throwing it out. How is extra food in your stomach better than food in the trash? Eating more that you want or need IS wasting food.
I'd read a quote somewhere to the effect that when you over-serve yourself, that was when you wasted the food. It's up to you whether the wasted food also damages you.
Since then, i've been more mindful about portioning, AND i've started eating more slowly and stopping when i'm sated. If that means throwing leftovers away, so be it.0 -
benevempress wrote: »I second the "freeze it if you don't want to eat it" suggestion. You mentioned using a little bit of canned soup for something and then wondering what to do with the rest? Perhaps you could portion the rest into similar sizes to what you used and put it in the freezer until you want to eat it again.
I also second the "give yourself some latitude and forgiveness for not being perfect and do what you have to do to get through the day", especially when you are recovering from surgery and don't have the mobility you need. I too have two special-needs kids that are picky and I'm trying to feed them healthy foods, but sometimes I just can't do anymore that day and as long as they eat something with enough calories to keep them alive I surrender the fight, knowing tomorrow is another day and another chance to get them to eat something nutritious.
thank you. I didnt know I could freeze canned soup. I thought only fresh food could be frozen and safely eaten. ?0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »No, my wife and I prepare what we're going to eat and put appropriate portions of food on our plates. There's nothing wrong with cleaning your plate when it is properly apportioned. We usually make 4 servings for the two of us so that we have lunch for the next day...or the day after that. Leftovers will keep for a few days.
This is what works for me too.0 -
Verity1111 wrote: »Put things in the freezer if necessary.
No need for special appliances to make home cooking easier. I mean, make homemade pasta if you want to but it's not any easier than boxed. And an egg poacher is a novelty item; poaching eggs is really easy with a regular old cooking pot.
Overall, though, no I don't find leftovers to cause a problem with my diet. We don't have much in the way of leftovers unless we have planned to have them. We eat pretty plain food, too, so most of our dribs and drabs of leftovers just get mixed in with the dogs' dinners that night.
Oh not easier. I thought it was healthier. It was for when I start getting better, so I can eat healthier again while Im recovering. The poacher plugs into a wall outlet, so I can use it at a lower level, there is no stove needed. Plain food? I dont have a dog to give my food to. Lol. But maybe I need to give my food to someone elses dog..
Lol
By plain food I meant that we tend to eat things without sauces or cheese on them so they are okay for the dogs to have.
How long will you be incapacitated?
I go to my surgeon on the 6th to see if I can stop all the annoying elevating and wheeling a bit and start putting some pressure on my leg. Until then he wants me in bed as much as possible, to allow all the swelling to go down. I was injured about 10 weeks ago already, but I broke my ankle in 3 places and it was a weeks before they actually did the surgery. I ended up with 8 screws, a plate and a wire in my ankle.0 -
Thank you to everyone for all the advice/ideas and support I was just wondering if I'm alone in this. I am glad that at least some understand and also thank you all for some helpful advice that I read here.
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Almost anything can be frozen.0
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