Do you ever feel guilty?
dill_milk
Posts: 61 Member
Half the world is starving, and we're stuffing our faces to feed our own vanity. I know I feel guilty sometimes. I guess one-third of the food grown in the world gets thrown away anyway, so if nobodies gonna feed the poor we might as well eat it so it doesn't go to waste, right?
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Not one bit. Thinking about another person's misfortune doesn't do anything except place the unfortunate in a state of pity and the thinker on some false moral high ground. They make do with what they have and industrialized countries do what they want with what they don't need.
Whether you eat all your food, throw it away, or refuse to buy it is a personal choice. Ultimately, it's not going anywhere except on a sale shelf or an expired trash pile.8 -
I sometimes hear that grandma voice "Children in China are starving...don't waste that food" in my head.
But I find that making donations to food shelfs and other food charities--that actually GET food to people in need--helps quell that voice. So I don't overeat and I can let it go.
Here's one of my favorite, and it's free: https://thehungersite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ths/home;jsessionid=4453D3F889F19032C92EDA78F133D891?12 -
Hmm. Not about food, honestly. I do feel that way about water though, whether it's a bath or washing dishes or just drinking so many glasses of clean, tasty tap water all day long. Guilt.5
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Also, there's no way to eliminate ALL waste. A lot of that waste happens before food gets into your shopping cart. And you shouldn't eat spoiled food, which happens.
Some of the simpliest ways to minimize waste at home is to:
*Make a list for shopping
*Plan meals: make sure that fresh arugula has a dish to go into sooner rather than later.
*If you don't really like it, don't buy it.
*Eat leftovers. They make cheap lunches, they can be reused in later dinners, too.5 -
Half the world is not starving. If you want to believe that your own prosperity is some sort of global wrong, please accept my pity.11
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Working to reduce food waste is important, environmentally. There are lots of great programs and organizations working to redirect surplus food to communities with need. The best thing to do is to only purchase what you need and use what you do buy. Over-buying encourages over-production which isn't helpful.
https://www.worldwildlife.org/initiatives/food-waste
That said, I work to reduce my own food waste and support programs that feed those in need. I don't feel guilty for eating what I need. We all do our part, but no one person can fix a problem on their own.3 -
Not one bit. I do feel blessed to live in a first world country where I don't have worry about my next meal. I make donations to my charities of choice, because I am able to.9
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I have to say not one time I have been eating in a surplus I have never felt guilty. And its not just for vanity sake, I am old so this is a very worthy cause, my health and its fun. We all spend money on things we enjoy don't we?
I will say my husband comments on the amount of food and says its like feeding growing teenagers all over again.
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If I don't eat this vegan pizza, who will?4
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quiksylver296 wrote: »Not one bit. I do feel blessed to live in a first world country where I don't have worry about my next meal. I make donations to my charities of choice, because I am able to.
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@dill_milk I did a little bit of googling and found at https://www.worldhunger.org/2015-world-hunger-and-poverty-facts-and-statistics/ this paragraph
"Does the world produce enough food to feed everyone?
The world produces enough food to feed everyone. For the world as a whole, per capita food availability has risen from about 2220 kcal/person/day in the early 1960s to 2790 kcal/person/day in 2006-08, while developing countries even recorded a leap from 1850 kcal/person/day to over 2640 kcal/person/day. This growth in food availability in conjunction with improved access to food helped reduce the percentage of chronically undernourished people in developing countries from 34 percent in the mid 1970s to just 15 percent three decades later. (FAO 2012, p. 4) A principal problem is that many people in the world still do not have sufficient income to purchase (or land to grow) enough food or access to nutritious food. This is an element of “food access”. The FAO defines four dimensions of food security, all of which must be fulfilled simultaneously, for food security to exist. The four dimensions are: 1) physical availability of food, 2) economic and physical access to food, 3) food utilization, and 4) the stability of those other dimensions over time."
Of note is that there is plenty of food. There's a whole long inconclusive discussion here about the distribution of grocery stores in advanced societies. The large problem of societal starvation is often a direct result of government decisions, as when 20th century collectivisation in Ukraine and China led to massive die-offs of starving people. This is also the cause of hunger affecting millions of people in Yemen, Syria and Venezuela today. In Yemen, the issue is a war launched by another government. In Syria, the issue is a civil war. In Venezuela, the issue is entirely due to a government at internal and external peace, but still unable to distribute goods effectively. These are big and real problems, none of which will be solved by any individual volunteering to suffer.5 -
i've always felt not to waste food. My family escaped Hungary during the revolution & before that would stand in long lines to get food. Although I was a baby & don't remember that, I always had to eat everything on my plate. When my kids were small I worked for the school district & picked up extra hours by monitoring in the cafeteria during lunch. It bothered me so much all the food thrown out & had to stop working during lunch. I was always afraid of going hungry one of these days. I've learned to let go with the help of my kids so now a days, especially since mfp where I don't want to eat things I don't really like & use calories, we do get rid of things.We give them to our neighbor or our grown kids or our dogs, so it's not really wasted3
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Vanity? I’m stuffing my face to fuel physical performance. Narcissistic maybe, but vain? Not so much.0
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I eat less because of vanity, not more. I'm more careful about how much I eat because of vanity and my diet is more planned, making food purchases planned. I generally only buy what I need, and make use of anything that looks like its not going to last (my freezer has a lot of random odds and ends...).
I don't feel guilty about eating. I dislike that local supermarkets won't drastically reduce items if they are "use by" the day of purchase, throwing them away instead. Surely it makes more sense to sell them for a minimal amount, make some money, and reduce waste?1 -
I don't feel guilty about eating. I do dislike food waste and that makes me feel guilty.0
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No.1
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As long as I am within my calories, I never feel guilty. Even on the little occasions where I eat like a pig, I still don't feel guilty because I know how this game is played after 5 years of tracking macros...and I can't feel guilty for other people less fortunate than us, because that's something I have no control of, the only thing I can control is what my body needs to perform optimally. At least I am not wasting any food like I see people doing. I remember when I went on a cruise, it's incredible the amound of food wasting I saw. That part is what I find irritating.1
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"The poor will always be with you." -- Jesus2
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http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/episodes/wasted-the-story-of-food-waste
this was most interesting I found0 -
I feel guilty about food waste from an environmental perspective. I've felt guilty about it for a while but just in the last couple weeks have started to talk to my family about it frequently. Myself, my husband and my daughter each pick up groceries whenever we want, and each cook when we want, making enough for everyone of course. Often it works out, but at least some of the time we can't keep up to the fresh food in the fridge or to the leftovers or both. As a starting point, we're trying to communicate better, and make better use of the freezer (although I just emptied IT out, food waste there too).
I'd LOVE to hear from others how they minimize food waste at their house.1 -
goldthistime wrote: »I feel guilty about food waste from an environmental perspective. I've felt guilty about it for a while but just in the last couple weeks have started to talk to my family about it frequently. Myself, my husband and my daughter each pick up groceries whenever we want, and each cook when we want, making enough for everyone of course. Often it works out, but at least some of the time we can't keep up to the fresh food in the fridge or to the leftovers or both. As a starting point, we're trying to communicate better, and make better use of the freezer (although I just emptied IT out, food waste there too).
I'd LOVE to hear from others how they minimize food waste at their house.
I ferment milk into kefir, so milk is not wasted here. I freeze bananas for smoothies, so bananas are not wasted here. I drink all the coffee, so coffee is not wasted here. Other foods, not so successful here.1 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »I feel guilty about food waste from an environmental perspective. I've felt guilty about it for a while but just in the last couple weeks have started to talk to my family about it frequently. Myself, my husband and my daughter each pick up groceries whenever we want, and each cook when we want, making enough for everyone of course. Often it works out, but at least some of the time we can't keep up to the fresh food in the fridge or to the leftovers or both. As a starting point, we're trying to communicate better, and make better use of the freezer (although I just emptied IT out, food waste there too).
I'd LOVE to hear from others how they minimize food waste at their house.
I ferment milk into kefir, so milk is not wasted here. I freeze bananas for smoothies, so bananas are not wasted here. I drink all the coffee, so coffee is not wasted here. Other foods, not so successful here.
Good for you on the kefir. Thankfully we have no problems with milk spoiling. Out of curiosity though, where do you buy the live culture for that? We used to have a yogurt maker that kept the milk and culture at optimal temperature overnight, is there a special process/equipment for kefir?
I throw away bananas on occasion. I tried throwing bananas in the freezer when they're overripe but they look so unappealing that we all end up grabbing the replacements in the fruit bowl. I'm going to convert to peeling them and chopping them up.
Anyone have other suggestions?
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Global hunger is much more of a distribution issue than a production issue.
Also, your overconsumption -> your impaired health -> increase cost to health care system -> fewer available funds to aid global issues, such as hunger.1 -
Just save/freeze leftovers. Maybe each person has their own box. Take the money you'd spend on excess food and donate it to a charity.1
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goldthistime wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »I feel guilty about food waste from an environmental perspective. I've felt guilty about it for a while but just in the last couple weeks have started to talk to my family about it frequently. Myself, my husband and my daughter each pick up groceries whenever we want, and each cook when we want, making enough for everyone of course. Often it works out, but at least some of the time we can't keep up to the fresh food in the fridge or to the leftovers or both. As a starting point, we're trying to communicate better, and make better use of the freezer (although I just emptied IT out, food waste there too).
I'd LOVE to hear from others how they minimize food waste at their house.
I ferment milk into kefir, so milk is not wasted here. I freeze bananas for smoothies, so bananas are not wasted here. I drink all the coffee, so coffee is not wasted here. Other foods, not so successful here.
Good for you on the kefir. Thankfully we have no problems with milk spoiling. Out of curiosity though, where do you buy the live culture for that? We used to have a yogurt maker that kept the milk and culture at optimal temperature overnight, is there a special process/equipment for kefir?
I throw away bananas on occasion. I tried throwing bananas in the freezer when they're overripe but they look so unappealing that we all end up grabbing the replacements in the fruit bowl. I'm going to convert to peeling them and chopping them up.
Anyone have other suggestions?
I use those ugly frozen bananas for a Greek yogurt based banana bread. So delicious!
We will usually meal plan to use leftovers. Smoked whole chicken becomes chicken soup with the dark meat and broth made from the bones. Smoked pork becomes quesadillas. Chili becomes chili Mac. (I swear we eat plant based meals often, but meat seems to be all the "use it up" type of meals I can think of right now!)1 -
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goldthistime wrote: »I feel guilty about food waste from an environmental perspective. I've felt guilty about it for a while but just in the last couple weeks have started to talk to my family about it frequently. Myself, my husband and my daughter each pick up groceries whenever we want, and each cook when we want, making enough for everyone of course. Often it works out, but at least some of the time we can't keep up to the fresh food in the fridge or to the leftovers or both. As a starting point, we're trying to communicate better, and make better use of the freezer (although I just emptied IT out, food waste there too).
I'd LOVE to hear from others how they minimize food waste at their house.
Of course this will vary a lot and I understand you have a 3 person household with multiple cooks/shoppers...but we try not to have a lot of extra food on hand and really do not waste much food. Of course we have staple items like baking needs, lentils, beans, canned tomato sauce, etc. But we mostly eat fresh food and don't have a problem with spoilage. It's just me and my husband and we shop once a week buying the items we will need for that week's meals and no more. We both tend to eat the same amount each time we make something so we know how much to make and almost never have any leftovers to store/freeze.
I might sound weird but it's hard for me to understand sometimes when friends talk about how much food is wasted in their homes. We just buy what we will eat, and cook it and eat it all up. Our freezer is nothing like most peoples' we know (full of frozen leftovers, chili, ice cream, etc)...we basically just have a little bit of frozen fruits & veggies and maybe a half-empty package of veggie burgers that will be used the same week. I think it's all in how you shop and plan, and I'm sure it's probably easier for a household with really just two people and one of them (my husband) as the main cook.1 -
In my house we have multiple freezers that stay stocked with food. If we don't get some leftovers in time before they spoil, they get tossed into the freezer. In addition, we also have a food saver that we use for keeping meats, cheese, and other items around for longer than they would normally keep.1
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To add to everything already said above you can also start your own little garden, grow things, eat them, save the ends and bits that don't get eaten, make compost, use to grow more things. Easy way to "not waste" and saves a bit of money if you don't mind seasonal fruits/veggies.
Man that statement made me feel like a hippie, I need to go punch a cow now and then eat it....with fresh veggies from my garden
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seltzermint555 wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »I feel guilty about food waste from an environmental perspective. I've felt guilty about it for a while but just in the last couple weeks have started to talk to my family about it frequently. Myself, my husband and my daughter each pick up groceries whenever we want, and each cook when we want, making enough for everyone of course. Often it works out, but at least some of the time we can't keep up to the fresh food in the fridge or to the leftovers or both. As a starting point, we're trying to communicate better, and make better use of the freezer (although I just emptied IT out, food waste there too).
I'd LOVE to hear from others how they minimize food waste at their house.
Of course this will vary a lot and I understand you have a 3 person household with multiple cooks/shoppers...but we try not to have a lot of extra food on hand and really do not waste much food. Of course we have staple items like baking needs, lentils, beans, canned tomato sauce, etc. But we mostly eat fresh food and don't have a problem with spoilage. It's just me and my husband and we shop once a week buying the items we will need for that week's meals and no more. We both tend to eat the same amount each time we make something so we know how much to make and almost never have any leftovers to store/freeze.
I might sound weird but it's hard for me to understand sometimes when friends talk about how much food is wasted in their homes. We just buy what we will eat, and cook it and eat it all up. Our freezer is nothing like most peoples' we know (full of frozen leftovers, chili, ice cream, etc)...we basically just have a little bit of frozen fruits & veggies and maybe a half-empty package of veggie burgers that will be used the same week. I think it's all in how you shop and plan, and I'm sure it's probably easier for a household with really just two people and one of them (my husband) as the main cook.
My spouse and I used to have a lot of trouble with food waste - we had a bad habit of optimistically buying healthy food and not eating it, failing to check what we had when grocery shopping, rarely eating leftovers, buying inappropriate portions, and not cooking at home nearly as much as we hoped. We've tightened that up a lot since we started using meal kit delivery programs and meal prepping lunches for the week. I've also simplified my eating a lot - I generally have the same basic things for breakfast, lunch, and snacks every day so I'm good at judging how much I need how often. And I've given myself permission to eat foods that I like rather than foods I think I'm supposed to eat - I can't tell you how much yogurt I've thrown away because I kept trying to convince myself I'd eat it.1
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