As a child, were you told you should never waste food?
I sure was!
I grew up on a farm and there were some pretty tough times financially.
So I learned to eat or save every tiny scrap of food. Sometimes I still hate the idea of throwing food away.
The “clean your-plate” rule is one of the hardest ones for most people to break. But when you fill your car with gas, you don’t keep pumping after the tank is full, spilling the fuel on the ground. So why would you do this with your body?
Here’s a new way to look at those old rules around cleaning your plate: Every time you eat food your body doesn’t need, you are wasting it!
So now you have a choice. You can get rid of leftover food by throwing it away or by eating it. Either way, it’s wasted!
Today’s assignment (my answers are in blue)
1. Throw some food away. It can be a tiny amount or a large amount. Remember, by wasting it into the garbage, you’re not wasting it into yourself. Write down what you threw away.
Last week, I threw away the leftover pastries from my coffee club meeting. It was kind of hard because they were really tasty. But I knew that if I kept them in the house, I’d eventually eat them.
2. In the space bellow, list all of the foods you let go of today. Make a note about how it felt to throw food away, then add a few thoughts on how you’ll manage leftover food in the future.
Yesterday, I “let go of” part of my serving of chicken casserole as well as some of my vegetables. It’s harder to do this with favorite foods such as dessert, but I’ve learned that I can do this as well. I remind myself that I’m “wasting it” by putting it into my body.
3. Think about ways you can prevent having excess food around in the first place. Write your notes below.
Don’t buy certain things in the first place. A bunch of years ago, I was having a terrible time with potato chips. I’d start crunching on them, and always end up eating the entire bag.
One day I asked my husband if he would mind if I didn’t buy them any more so I wouldn’t have them in the house. He said that was fine, and that he could always get some at work if he was hungry for them.
So I quit buying them entirely. What’s interesting is that I haven’t had potato chips in my house for over 20 years.
Excerpted from Day 17 in the book, 100 Days of Weight Loss