"Eating extra food just to 'clean our plates' might not help anyone"
One of the big stumbling blocks for parents regarding food consumption is the belief that they must “clean” their kids’ plates, i.e. if the kids don’t finish the meal then mom or dad will. And the number one reason I hear for this is “to not waste food”. Not only have parents ended up over consuming but they’ve also been guilty of demanding their kids do the same for this dubious yet well-meaning cause.
I’m not suggesting that food waste is a dubious debate. In fact, The Natural Resources Defense Council reports that 40% of the food in the US goes uneaten each year. What I am suggesting, however, is that eating when you’re not hungry or when the food choice is a known problem for you is not the answer to this issue. If we are over-feeding or poorly feeding our kids and ourselves then that food might still be wasted in our bodies where, if we don’t burn it through everyday activities, it can be stored as unwanted fat, wreak havoc with our body’s chemistry and make us feel even worse about the choice.
We believe, however, that because resources have been spent on the product then it’s incumbent upon us to follow through and consume it even though we’re no longer hungry or the food in question will do us short or long-term harm. But this is false logic. The idea that we should “clean our children’s plates” (or have them clean their own) just because good resources have been spent is like throwing good money after bad. We cannot recover this expenditure of resources no matter what we do with the food once it’s in our hands (the law of conservation of energy not withstanding).
We may also feel that consuming the food will prevent a future negative impact. For example, if we throw it out then we add to the waste filling our dumps and contribute to the cost associated with that. We might experience some guilt for “wasting” food when there are “starving children” somewhere. But what about the guilt we feel over a poor food choice? And I can tell you with pretty good certainty that what you do with food that’s already on your plate has no impact on starving children (unless you donate it to them immediately).
What will help starving children, as well as our own health, is to limit food waste before it gets to our homes and plates. If we’re going to experience the guilt of consumption, along with the unwanted conversion of the food energy into fat, then we must accept that the best way to avoid this issue is to control the purchases and the portions. Don’t try to limit food waste after the meal, to the detriment of our waistlines, limit it before the meal...in how we shop for and serve the food.
For those, inevitable, times when food is left on the plate, not eaten by the hungry teenager in the house, composting or feeding it to the cold animals in winter are wonderful alternatives to “wasting” it on our waistlines. But giving yourselves and your children smaller portions remains the best choice. Less food per serving isn’t going to prevent anyone from healthy growth but it will help prevent our unhealthy growth. And, since the majority of people reading this have the resources to serve a reasonable second serving when appropriate, we should do our best to control our food purchase and portion so we can control our waste and our waistlines.
We believe, however, that because resources have been spent on the product then it’s incumbent upon us to follow through and consume it even though we’re no longer hungry or the food in question will do us short or long-term harm. But this is false logic. The idea that we should “clean our children’s plates” (or have them clean their own) just because good resources have been spent is like throwing good money after bad. We cannot recover this expenditure of resources no matter what we do with the food once it’s in our hands (the law of conservation of energy not withstanding).
We may also feel that consuming the food will prevent a future negative impact. For example, if we throw it out then we add to the waste filling our dumps and contribute to the cost associated with that. We might experience some guilt for “wasting” food when there are “starving children” somewhere. But what about the guilt we feel over a poor food choice? And I can tell you with pretty good certainty that what you do with food that’s already on your plate has no impact on starving children (unless you donate it to them immediately).
What will help starving children, as well as our own health, is to limit food waste before it gets to our homes and plates. If we’re going to experience the guilt of consumption, along with the unwanted conversion of the food energy into fat, then we must accept that the best way to avoid this issue is to control the purchases and the portions. Don’t try to limit food waste after the meal, to the detriment of our waistlines, limit it before the meal...in how we shop for and serve the food.
For those, inevitable, times when food is left on the plate, not eaten by the hungry teenager in the house, composting or feeding it to the cold animals in winter are wonderful alternatives to “wasting” it on our waistlines. But giving yourselves and your children smaller portions remains the best choice. Less food per serving isn’t going to prevent anyone from healthy growth but it will help prevent our unhealthy growth. And, since the majority of people reading this have the resources to serve a reasonable second serving when appropriate, we should do our best to control our food purchase and portion so we can control our waste and our waistlines.
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