Bigger than our bellies

Sharing those supersized cafe meals or taking surplus food home will help avoid food waste – but make sure you store any leftovers safely.

- Jennifer Bowden

Question.

I rarely eat in cafes any more because food intended as a snack is generally the size of a whole meal, and I don’t want to substitute dinner for a muffin the size of a baby’s head. As a result, I’m often faint with hunger but can find nothing to eat. I’m not zealous about diet, calories, etc. I simply cannot absorb that quantity of food! And what do people feed small children when they take them out?

Answer:

Consumers can often end up stuck between a rock and a hard place when dining out and considering food waste. With ever-larger food servings now the norm in cafes, restaurants and takeaways, consumers must juggle the competing priorities of honouring their health and appetite versus not wasting food by leaving it uneaten. So, what do we do?

Our priority should always be to honour the signals our body sends us about our hunger and fullness. Eat when hungry, stop when you feel full.

Studies have consistently shown that children can self-regulate their energy intake. So, when eating a high-energy meal, they tend to eat a smaller quantity, and when eating a low-energy meal, they eat a larger portion.

Of course, as children grow up, that incredible ability to self-regulate weakens as they conform to external pressures such as parents, peers, and food companies, who all have an opinion about how much children should eat.