It's Okay To Throw Away

Many in recent years have talked about how we as Americans have to get over our need to “clean our plates”. We’ve been told not to listen to years of “the starving people in third world countries” rhetoric so many of us grew up on, and to instead not eat everything we can. That, is of course, what many of us would agree is correct. We don’t need to eat everything on our plate, whether it be a home cooked meal or the traditionally over-portioned food delivered to us while dining out. We don’t even need to eat everything we buy to make these meals. Here is where we really have problems... then what? Are we really, gulp, supposed to just throw away perfectly good food? For our health... YES!

It’s one thing to not eat everything on our plate, it’s a whole other to actually allow it to be thrown away. How many times have you asked for a “doggie bag” with some intention to later eat that food, or to take it to the kids, the spouse, the neighbor, etc., only to, for one reason or another, find yourself eventually throwing it away? Did you feel less guilt because you had good intentions? Why have guilt at all? Excess food hurts our body and shortens our life. It literally kills us. There is no need to feel guilty for throwing away food from a restaurant. Or is there?

What about the starving children? Well, you could stay in instead of going out and donate the difference to a local (and reputable) food bank. What about the money wasted? You paid for it, and we can’t waste money! It’s already been paid for, so why not eat it? To not eat it would be wasting money (even though to eat it is literally hurting your health). But think about this, you don’t eat the extra Raid poison pellets under the sink that are about to expire. At the end of the day, it’s all just unused chemicals.

I write this, because I know it, all to well. My challenge, personally, isn’t the restaurant. I have overcome that guilt and will just leave a half-full plate. My challenge is when I break, as I have from time to time, and justify the continued eating of a food, one that is not just a little, but a lot out of my comfort zone for proper health. “Well, I bought this cake for my kids, but I can’t let it go to waste, I don’t want to waste my money. so I’ll eat a slice. Well, its still sitting there wasting my money, time for another slice.” Basically, I’d rather eat an unhealthy, horrible food than throw it away, since it cost money. Why? Because it gives me/us another excuse, and like cleaning our plates, we've been taught not to waste.

The solution? Just don’t buy it in the first place of course! If you were thinking that, you are reading the wrong column. Breaks happen, bad judgement happens, weak days and even weaker moments win sometimes. We continue the war, but lose the battle. That said, if we have a weak moment, if we lose that battle, if we buy too much, or the wrong thing... we need to be strong, stand-up and remind ourselves “it’s okay to walk away from a plate of food, and it’s okay to throw away food I shouldn't have”. The money you save in your health and well being will pay you back for your perceived loss now. If you lose one battle, fight that much harder to win the next one, throw it away.

Brian Jagger is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer who used to top the scales at well over 300lbs. He has lost the excess fat, become fit and now works as a full-time personal trainer/fitness coach and part-time working actor on various TV and film projects. Jagger is also the co-host of the fitness for all focused podcast “FitBody Radio” which can be heard live weekly at FitBodyRadio.com or via podcast through the itunes store.