Stop Finishing Your Food
My grandparents used to threaten me with an ugly husband if I did not finish the rice on my plate. However, my mother did not finish the rice herself, and my father looked pretty decent, so this was just an old wives’ myth. They probably grew up with the mindset of not wasting food. With so many hungry children on the verge of starvation in the world, it is quite a bad practice to waste food.
However, do separate the notion of wasting food and finishing the food on your plate. You should be 70% full instead of being overstuffed. Our body cannot process so much food. All the excess food could be stored as fats.
If you have eaten enough, then stop eating. We are able to save food for the next day with refrigerators and microwaves. At the same time, if you are the one preparing food, then do not prepare that much. If you eat at restaurants where servings are huge, then get a doggy bag if it is a common practice. If not, simply share a meal with your dining partner in the future.
If you keep finding there is a lot of food left when you are feeling full, then this is a wasteful habit. Do not order too much food in the future. Do not order food for the entire table. You can always order more if you run out of food.
If you are cooking your meals, then you need to reduce your meals. If you have to buy a fish which is clearly too much for you, get the fishmonger to slice it into two sides so that you can keep the other half for another meal without fearing it will go bad.
Do not be obliged to eat all the food that people put on your table when you are eating out. One economic notion that I still remember after so many years of schooling is marginal utility. You may eat something that is great and the more you eat, the happier you get. But after a certain point, it becomes disgusting and your enjoyment decreases.
So, do not let your childhood habits continue to affect you. Reverse that thought quickly and eat just enough. Avoid buffets if you are afraid of wasting food.
If possible, just scoop up enough food for yourself, then move away from where the food is and just have your meal. Actually, I’ll just do that and eat in front of the TV instead of eating at the dining table.
It is better to have a little less than too much.
