Why such big portions—bal tashchis

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etky

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 2:57 pm

Part of the issue is that the overall culture is one of plenty and of overeating.
There is also a certain nonchalance about food wastage.
And many people have no idea of what an appropriate amount of food is, for a kid or for an adult.
Overeating is built into our society.

#BestBubby

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 7:30 pm

This bothers me too.

Child of Holocaust Survivor. "It's a sin to throw out food."

I don't let hosts fill my plate, because I feel "obligated" to finish.

At weddings, I pass on the main course because I know I won't even finish half.

Love Shmorgs where I can pick WHAT I want and HOW MUCH I want.

#BestBubby

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 7:37 pm

I think parents over-fill because they don't want to have any leftovers.

Once it went on a child's plate, it is "muttar" to throw away.

amother

Fuchsia

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 7:51 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I wonder if the moms have “big eyes” because they’re always dieting and they get pleasure from shoveling out tons of food even though they’re not shoved it into their own mouths. Vicariously enjoying food by handling it, as it were.

Ewwwwwwww can you please stop with the judgement. This is getting to be sick. Stop wondering so much and keep your eyes on your own plate

amother

Stone

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 8:32 pm

That’s fine but it hurts when guests and guest kids do this. It’s your plate, but it’s my wallet

amother

Poinsettia

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 8:34 pm

If it happens in your house don’t put out serving plates. Give individual portions. If it happens in someone else’s house stop being judgmental and work on fixing yourself.

amother

Fuchsia

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 8:45 pm

amother [ Stone ] wrote:

That’s fine but it hurts when guests and guest kids do this. It’s your plate, but it’s my wallet

I agree it not nice to take and waste big portions as a guest
However, that's a risk you take when having guests. If it bothers you then just bring out the plates pre-portioned. But to watch how much everyone takes and how much they eat is not healthy for you and not nice to your guests. Or just don't invite these guets if their behavior bothers.

octopus

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 8:54 pm

If I'm opening an individual yogurt it is not going back into the fridge open. It's just going to sit there for weeks and weeks until someone spills it by mistake

Notsobusy

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 9:53 pm

octopus wrote:

If I'm opening an individual yogurt it is not going back into the fridge open. It's just going to sit there for weeks and weeks until someone spills it by mistake

When my kids were little I would put open yogurts into a zip lock, write the kids name on it and give it them the next time they wanted yogurt.

amother

DarkViolet

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 9:58 pm

Notsobusy wrote:

When my kids were little I would put open yogurts into a zip lock, write the kids name on it and give it them the next time they wanted yogurt.

Was this a yogurt that they ate directly out of? Meaning spoon went back and forth between mouth and container? Not super healthful to keep it more than a few hours.

Thisisnotmyreal

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 10:08 pm

Anyone here do baby led weaning? It's extremely messy and when I do it my baby is playing with the food and not eating even a quarter of it. Babies will chew on meat and then spit it out. And I'll give more meat to be spat out.

It's about experimenting and getting acclimated to food for a year and a half.

amother

Coral

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 10:15 pm

I put the food on the table and let my kids figure out how much of everything they want to take on their plates and eat.
When I started serving this way, they would either take huge amounts and then only eat a little bit or they would only eat the one thing they liked, usually the carbs.
After a while of doing this, they regulated their food intake on their own without any of my input. They all eat protein and starch every night for dinner and sometimes they eat veggies too.
I and careful to never ever comment of what they're eating or how much of it, not even to praise them, so they don't feel any pressure from me in any way. It's very empowering and they've all become much much better eaters.
Hope this is helpful.

amother

Lightblue

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 10:29 pm

Oh boy. I agree. I don't know what people do at their homes but the food waste I see in shul is incredible. It's annoying to see ten abandoned pieces of chocolate cake when I couldn't have one. I mean it's chocolate cake, this has to be a culinary crime Twisted Evil

I finish my kids' food if they don't finish theirs. Don't even get me started on the boxes.there's people throwing away food they got for free. At wits end

bnm

Sat, Jan 08 2022, 10:52 pm

I work in a school and tried putting away yogurt- the brand the school buys gets watery if left out. Most of the time kids finish a complete yogurt. About rather giving refills than a big portion to begin with- depends on the food.

imaima

Sun, Jan 09 2022, 5:05 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

If you know from past experience that your child will eat the whole tub of yogurt, then I don't see a problem with that.

I think it's important for kids to understand portions, and to be able to gauge their body's fullness cues. If you respect what their bodies are telling them, you can set them up for a lifetime of healthy eating habits.

I babysit a 19mo, and we always feed her in stages. She gets her regular plate of food, but we leave room for her to still be a little hungry - or not. Some days she's fine with one plate, some days she eats like a teenage boy!

Are you all done? Do you want more? What do you want? are all things that we say around meal time. I don't mind getting up and getting a second, or even a third portion of something. That's part of my job. We never insist that she eat anything. We can try to tempt her by pretending that we are going to eat all of her food, or give it to her big sister, but if that doesn't work, then she's done.

I think that if people paid more attention to their kids' eating habits, there would be a lot less food waste going on. It's really easy to just let them take whatever, and as much as they want. You need to be there for your kids to make sure that they are getting the nutrition they need, in the right amounts. (Says the mother who's DD would have eaten nothing but mashed potatoes if I'd let her!)

I don't see how this is relevant. The way other people raise their kids is not relevant unless they waste YOUR food. You do you, amazing job. Other people are not so smart. Why the judgment though?

I also don't get why Holocaust survival is an excuse for this. It is a common fact that people who went through Holocaust or poverty are hypervigilant about food waste, but this should be about their own food. It is an explanation but not the excuse to judge others and impose own sensitivities on others.

amother

Amber

Sun, Jan 09 2022, 5:10 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Or maybe OP and the like suffer from Fat/Food Phobia and that is why they are so busy controlling what their kids eat...
Hey, if we are judging and making stupid assumptions about other people, let's just run all over with it....

Bnei Berak 10

Sun, Jan 09 2022, 5:23 am

It's part of education to teach children that you don't take a huge portion and take two bites and then it goes to the garbage.
Darling, you may eat as much a you want but I put a little on your plate. Start with that and I will be happy to give you more of you like it.
When they are older and can serve themselves: what you take you are expected to finish off.

amother

DarkYellow

Sun, Jan 09 2022, 6:04 am

Part of education is for kids to eat a bit of something and recognize that they are full or that they don't like a particular food and can just put it down. I don't advocate giving them adult portions, but let them determine how satisfied they are according to how they feel, not according to what's on the plate.

amother

Acacia

Sun, Jan 09 2022, 7:18 am

I don't give my children big portions. Is this a thing.

etky

Sun, Jan 09 2022, 7:33 am

amother [ DarkYellow ] wrote:

Yes, but you can do this on your own dime, in your own home.
Children should also be shown that when they are sharing a meal that a host has prepared it is not polite or considerate to take a bite and leave the rest over to be tossed away. Kids' portions served to ones children in someone else's home (or at a public venue) should be smallish, especially since there is a good chance that the child might reject the unfamiliar food or be too distracted to eat much. If they want more and there is enough for people to have seconds of course they should have some more.

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