Don't you just hate throwing away food?

Not the eating it part..but the wasting it part drives me nuts. We have a very large dog that helps with some leftovers, but there is oly so much people food I want him eating. They are all pretty good with things like juice boxes and pop they tend to not leave them lying around for me to take care of anymore. I once made a child come home from a buddy's house to put away the pop and chips he had left on my counter. A few times of that kind of stuff and they learned to pick up their own mess.

I'm not a parent, but I have an issue with wasted food. I always try to use everything that I buy, but even then, I know that supermarkets are horribly, horribly inefficient and waste tonnes and tonnes of food every day. It's sad, when there are so many people in the world who go to bed hungry. Isn't that what casseroles and stews are for?

Yes, I am the same way too. If my kids don't eat what is on their plates, I will save it for later. I would also teach them to not ask for food if they are not going to eat it. That is wasting food and it is very annoying! I like for them to try to eat most of their food rather than just to waste it.

hi bounce58, i dont have kids but i am talking from experience, my mother did not allow me to leave the table until i ate all my food she would always tell me about people who are Hungry and have nothing to eat. she would also tell me not to get more than your eyes can eat. so a bit of a suggestion i would try to give your kids smaller portions of food and drink, because as you drink while you eat your stomach get fuller too. and maybe explain to them about people who are starving and if they still take you and your food for granted take them to a homeless shelter and ask the owner or manager if they could volunteer for a week for one or two hours where they will see people their age and older with out food. or this is extreme but take them to a garbage dumpster and tell them that this is dinner and explain to them how people who are hungry get their food from other people's garbage.

I used to when our children were small. I did the same thing as you. I do not like to throw out food. Almost feel like it is a sin.

I have 2 kids: 4 and 2. My 2 year old is not a picky eater. He eats whatever I put in front of him. My 4 year old is a very picky eater. Most food that people eat, he own't eat. Just think that the way people in America waste food. Is the food that people in Africa and other places can be eating.

Even I don't like throwing away food. I have seen my friends do that in school and college and I used to always tell them not to throw food away like this. But what can we do... we can't change people. I see in restaurants also, so many people order a full meal, and the quantity of rice is also not much, but still, they seem to waste half of the rice from the bowl. I am sometimes scared if they will clear the plates and serve others the leftovers. You never get to know what they do in these hotels behind the door, to save money. But yea... throwing away food is not a good option. Even in monasteries I have seen people who come for a visit and eat the free food out there, seem to waste a lot of food.

I'm not a parent but I have plenty of nephews and neices so I understand what you mean. Many children have small appetites and don't eat as much as adults. I think we give them portions based on how much we adults may eat. Children also have very sensitive taste buds. They also can like or dislike a food just based on how it looks. We really have to take each child independently. It may take a little work to find out what each individual child enjoys eating but in the end it is worth it. I know there are many cookbooks that have great recipes for kids. I believe we should teach our children the importance of eating properly and not wasting food. This is a bigger job than most parents realize. But once we educate ourselves we can help them and ourselves.

Yes I sure do. Especially when you consider there are a lot o people in the world who don't have enough to eat.

Oh, it feels so incredibly wasteful, doesn't it? I feel so bad about it! I try to save left overs and put them to use. Sometimes me and my friends will actually drive around, with heated up left overs in re-useable containers, and hand them out to homeless people begging on the corners and highway exits (this is if we have a lot of time) rather than throw it out because no one's going to eat it. It makes sense, right?

Hello bounce58 and me too feel weird when there is leftover food at my home, we have to throw it away as it isn't good for our health.Though sometimes it remains frsh if refrigerated properly.But am having an weak stomach so quited eating leftover food, like to have fresh food always.But yes its really an burden to throw away our food, as in todays world there is high prices going on, to add in it is the scarcity of it.Well i plan to have food in proper quantity at the cetain time, never do it more than whats require.Anyways save some food and Happy mylotting.

Put it back in the fridge! It will not be good for your health in the long run if you eat your food and theirs. I would adjust their amounts so there is not as much left over. They can ask for more if they want it. Something else you can try is let them try new foods off your plate. Then if they like it put it on their plate.

Even if I don't have kids, I feel the same as you. I hate leaving food, so when I prepare too much food I always end up eating it the next day. I don't like wasting something neccessary as food, as there are many people who can't afford to eat on a daily basis.

I hate wasting anything but food is a big pet peeve of mine. Money is tight for pretty much everyone right now so i feel really bad wasting it because i feel like someone out there could want it or even need it. i try to make less food now so the chances of anything being wasted is less. I always try to make left overs and if i don't use them i at least give them to the dog!

You're not the only one that doesn't like to waste food. If i'm full, I place it in the freezer or in the refrigerator to eat the leftovers later on, but I don't throw away any good food unless it's the food I hate such as tomatoes, cucumbers, fruits, squash, etc. I'm a bit selective when it comes to selecting the food I save, but even I can't eat all of it in one shot. So instead of discarding it, I save it for later eating.

no, i dont finish what is on their plates, we make them finish it or my hubby will eat it. if there is enough, we will put it in the fridge and they have to eat it the next day. we will also throw left overs in the freezer and eat them another time, but i am like you, food is so expensive that i hate to waste it.

Hello! I don't like wasting food as well! I have always tough to end up my dish and not to leave it full it had to be empty. Maybe you can try to put smaller portions. I know that you want your children to eat good but then maybe you won't have to eat everything by yourself...

Yes i hate throwing away food thats why i'm so fat. I don't like wasting food or money so usually i get a big meal because its usually cheaper than if you order a few things separately so last night i could of got 2 hamburgers and one thing or fries or i could of got this value meal for the same price so i ended up with 3 hamburgers a drink and fries. I was so full after the first sandwich and fries and i drunk all my small drink. SO even though i was full i still ate it all i barely could walk boy was i stuffed. I do this all the time i think this why i'm over weight because i'm cheap, i like food, and i don't like to waste things. I'm a little bit selfish i tried to give a sandwich to someone but they didn't want it. I usually like getting all the food i want and not leaving not even a crumb on my plate. Thats how much i love food and not wasting it. Well happy mylotting.

Me and my family don't really throw any food out. Everything we don't consume we either use in a soup or stew or else compost. Compost isn't wasting since it's making good soil and fertilizer to grow new vegetables for us to eat. We always keep things that we don't finish in the fridge as left overs, as some one always ends up eating them for lunch or a snack later on. We also don't waste our water, we recycle our bathwater to water our plants and gardens.

I gained a lot of weight when i felt this way. Now I am down 68 plus pounds. due to gastric bypass. I also just tossed out my daughter dinner from last night. She made her plate and knew she could not eat it. So I am here to agree with your Bounce58. Yes I hate to toss out good food. But,I will not eat her left overs ever again. I will just have to toss it and move on.