Wasting Food, Gaining Weight and 4 Simple Ways to Stop Doing Both
How many times have you eaten something that you didn’t really want, when you weren’t really hungry, for the sake of not letting it go to waste?
The rest of the entree that you ordered.
That half-donut in the office kitchen.
The cookies that didn’t come out pretty enough.
The chip crumbs in the bottom of the bag.
The not-quite-a-bowl-of-cereal left in the box.
Those leftovers from the kids’ dinner.
There are  a lot of reasons we overeat, but not wanting to throw away food is one of the biggest.
We eat, then, not only to seek pleasure but also to avoid pain — specifically here, the pain of guilt.
Case in point: the dear mother of one of my best friends used to have a large painting hanging in their family dining room. It showed a very hungry child from Ethiopia, all sullen, sad eyes and outstretched arms holding an empty bowl. Whenever my friend would say she didn’t want to eat dinner, her mother would point to the picture. True story.
Now, this wasn’t quite as dramatic as it sounds — it’s now a family joke amongst us friends — but that sort of stuff does creep into your subconscious. We abhor waste in this country almost as much as we adore abundance.
The problem, of course, is that we are so abundant these days that not wasting is affecting our waistlines.Â
In a world that’s full of lack, the issue of “having too much” is an incredibly fortunate problem. That said, if it is, indeed, one of your problems, that doesn’t mean that eating everything right now is the right answer.
When you’re faced with more nourishment than you need, consider what I call the “4 S’s:”
- SPLIT your plate with someone else, or with yourself, saving 1/2 for a later meal (or part of one)
- SHARE your goods with friends, coworkers, your mail delivery carrier, your neighbors, etc. Especially awesome for baked goods!
- SIZE accurately when cooking, or ordering at a restaurant. Ask for 1/2 or “lunch” portion of an entree (or even an appetizer and a simple salad)
- STORE leftovers in the freezer (this is especially good for individual pieces of cake!) or put them in single serve containers for the next day’s lunch
Whatever strategy you use, don’t overeat simply because you “don’t want to waste food.” It’s a mindtrick, and it doesn’t end well.
After all, would you rather have it in the trash, or on your ass?
Hi, Kelly. The image of the starving child’s portrait hanging in the Family Dining Room was CHILLING!!! Lord, every meal is loaded with guilt! I loved your ideas for downsizing, too. I’m feeding men all the time, so we don’t have a lot of leftovers. I’m lucky that way. Jen
So glad the downsizing/leftover ideas are helpful — I know from your stories that good food is an integral part of your home, and hope some of those suggestions help the love last longer.
Kelly,
This is great. I love how you give us permission to not deny the body’s truth – I’m full! – over a guilt trip.
This is a big issue for me. I eat everything less out of guilt and more because if it’s right in front of me and is delicious, I can’t stop. But I’m training myself to pay more attention and to put my body’s needs first. It’s not easy but as I learn how to put less on my plate I will be throwing away less food.
Such a great article. Thank you!
Interesting point, Cynthia — and so important. If we all actually paid attention to what our body tells us (like “I’m full, thanks”), the diet industry would be demolished. It’s a difficult skill to master, but such an important one when it comes to total, guilt-free enjoyment of delicious food!
Yup, my mom did the same thing to me. I, to this day, will not leave a crumb on my plate for myself or anyone who is eating with me. Powerful imagery.
Luckily, while I refuse to waste, luckily, “Storing” works for me. I LOVE LEFTOVERS. I mean LUSTOVERS (KFS).
Love lustovers!!
My SIL still tells stories about when she was a kid and her mother told her that she had to finish everything on her plate because of “the starving Armenians.” Then she goes on about how the people who lived across the street were Armenian and they didn’t look like they were starving. Sad part – my SIL has been morbidly obese for as long as I can remember, with diabetes and congestive heart failure since her mid-50s.
Yes, our upbringing has such a strong influence on our eating — how we manage, enjoy, don’t enjoy, etc. The good news is that there’s more and more research and support out there for improving the mind-body eating connection. Here’s to hoping for more health!
The part I never understood about the “starving children of (insert country here)” is how my eating more was going to help them… if anything, shouldn’t we eat less? Then we could send the food we produce, but don’t need, to those who don’t have enough.
I do get the concept of being grateful for what you have, and not being wasteful (at least in part because you’re grateful that you have enough to eat when so many don’t). But somehow, making myself fat seems just a bit insulting to those who don’t have enough.
I much prefer your methods, as it seems to be more about not just listening to your body, but making the most of what you have… which also seems much MORE gracious and grateful than wasting it by eating it when you don’t need it!
Thanks for your thoughts, Heidi — glad they resonated with you. Listening to the body + making the most of what you have = true nourishment!
While it’s just a silly memory in our family now, the guilt of seeing the African child on the wall staring at me and my half-eaten plate has influenced my “waste not” mentality when it comes to food. I hadn’t connected those dots to my current guilt-based food habits — keeping leftovers for way too long and eating my toddlers leftovers — until reading this article. Thanks for the reminder to eat mindfully, Kelly!!
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