Do you ever feel guilty?

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Replies

  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    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.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
    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?

  • goatg
    goatg Posts: 1,399 Member
    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.
  • goatg
    goatg Posts: 1,399 Member
    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.
  • AEC50
    AEC50 Posts: 124 Member
    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!)
  • Lean59man wrote: »
    "The poor will always be with you." -- Jesus

    Until God’s Kingom.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
    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.
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    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.
  • Azercord
    Azercord Posts: 573 Member
    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 :tongue:
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited March 2018
    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.