"Eat your crusts" is a pointless argument

[MaMaD1990]

Making my daughters lunch and she has started peeling the crusts off her sandwiches. I remember being told to eat my crusts when I was little and "it'll make your hair curly" encouragement yada yada. AIBU to think this is a battle not worth having if your kids don't eat crusts? Does it matter?

bablery..sorry meant bakery

@Gwenhwyfar

I don't always eat my crusts and I don't care about the waste either. I think the finish your plate thing and obsession about waste is quite unhealthy in a country with an obesity problem. I felt annoyed about how much of a cauliflower I put in the bin yesterday, but I'm not going to freeze the bits in case I can make a stock or something one day. It would be better if they were sold just as florets.

This is bonkers. You were too lazy to leave the cauliflower in the fridge and just chuck it in as a bit of extra veg next time you make e.g. a curry or a stir fry?

I don't waste food, but I'm also not obsessed with clearing my plate. I eat as much as I feel hungry for, and if I have left overs I just eat them for the next day's lunch or fry it up for another meal. I thought that was pretty normal?

You don't have to make your own stock in order to use up a bit of veg. I don't, anyway.

"All that food that has been produced unnecessarily has an environmental impact, for example can include:"

That happens whether the food is in your stomach (and then part of it down the toilet anyway) or the bin.

"You were too lazy to leave the cauliflower in the fridge and just chuck it in as a bit of extra veg next time you make e.g. a curry or a stir fry?"

It would go off before next time. I only have a one-shelf freezer so freezer is not an option either.

"I don't waste food, but I'm also not obsessed with clearing my plate. I eat as much as I feel hungry for, and if I have left overs I just eat them for the next day's lunch or fry it up for another meal. I thought that was pretty normal?"

It's pretty normal for people (at least of my generation) to have 'finish your plate' ingrained.
I also keep leftovers if they're enough for another meal or half a meal or something, but not very small amounts that would just go off in my fridge anyway.

i put the crusts out on my bird table

@Gwenhwyfar

"All that food that has been produced unnecessarily has an environmental impact, for example can include:"

That happens whether the food is in your stomach (and then part of it down the toilet anyway) or the bin.

No, because if the food is in your stomach or has already made its way to your toilet, and it’s not in the bin, you don’t buy the next bit of food - because you don’t need.

That cumulative effect over time had a population is huge.

Exactly! It's not wasted in your stomach if you then refrain from eating something else because you're not hungry. Binning food is wasteful.

I'm usually good at using up,leftovers but dislike the crusts.

We have a food caddy but I try not to waste too much

"No, because if the food is in your stomach or has already made its way to your toilet, and it’s not in the bin, you don’t buy the next bit of food - because you don’t need."

My shopping is not that accurate. I'm not going to buy another loaf because I didn't finish my crusts.
I'm not going to give up eating bread and unfortunately it comes with crusts so I'll be continuing with the waste.

@Gwenhwyfar

"All that food that has been produced unnecessarily has an environmental impact, for example can include:"

That happens whether the food is in your stomach (and then part of it down the toilet anyway) or the bin.

I need to eat X calories a day to maintain my weight. If I eat all the edible parts of the food I prepare, then I only need to buy and consume the calories I need to live.

If I chop off edible bits of food and put them in the bin, then I need to buy the calories I need to live plus the wasted amount.

If we bin stuff, we will consume more. I'd have thought that was obvious.

@Palavah

Was there some kind of myth that there was more fibre in the crusts (as there actually is in/just under the skin of fruits and veg?) or just an admonition not to waste food?

As a young child I totally believed crusts were more nutritious and then never really thought about it again until I was older 😬

@Cocomarine I thought someone might bite .

You’re quite right, of course, wasting food does have an environmental impact, which is why I try hard not to do it. I was simply making a point about the economic value chain.

"I'm not going to buy another loaf because I didn't finish my crusts" - of course you will! Not for each loaf obviously, but over time you'll buy 11 loaves instead of 10 (or whatever) and waste one.

@GreenBalaclava

"I'm not going to buy another loaf because I didn't finish my crusts" - of course you will! Not for each loaf obviously, but over time you'll buy 11 loaves instead of 10 (or whatever) and waste one.

^ this

I can't believe this isn't obvious to everyone. It might not even be bread - if you're that little bit hungrier after your sandwich, you might eat more cheese or more for dinner that day. It will have an effect.

"I need to eat X calories a day to maintain my weight."

The X calories is not exact, is it? It will be a bit different every day.

I think it's a waste. I think food waste is actually a pretty significant issue in our society,I'm a little perplexed that people think it's not, so I'm disinclined to let it go.

OTOH with toddlers I don't argue about food in that kind of way. I try and offer things I know they are usually ok with and in the right amounts, and then I don't really give a lot of alternates if they won't eat it.

But I do consider not wasting food to be a principle worth teaching.

I agree with those who said differentiating the "crust" is a slippery slope.

And if you're problem is with consumption rather than waste, you'd be better off preaching to those who eat too much. They probably buy more than the rest of us.

@Gwenhwyfar

"I need to eat X calories a day to maintain my weight."

The X calories is not exact, is it? It will be a bit different every day.

Whether you average it over a day, a week, a month or a year, all humans have a calorie requirement. Anything you throw in the bin isn't contributing to filling your stomach. So it's wasted.

I don't understand why you are so hostile to something which is demonstrably true. Binning things is wasting them. It means that more has to be produced.

You obviously think that's ok, so just own it! Don't hide behind ridiculous claims that it isn't really waste because the food you eat will eventually end up in the toilet. It's not the same!

If you eat more than you need, that's just as wasteful isn't it? I'd rather have crusts in the bin than get fat because I'm obsessed with clearing my plate.

What about alcohol? More of that probably goes out in pee than stays in the body and isn't required by the body either. Is the production and consumption of alcohol wasteful and to be banned?

You're equating not wasting food with overeating. That's a totally false equivalence.

I don't chuck food away or overeat, I just plan for leftovers in my meal planning, and if I don't need to use a whole cauliflower for one meal, I use the rest the next day. Food does not go off so quickly that this is impossible to do.

@Gwenhwyfar

"No, because if the food is in your stomach or has already made its way to your toilet, and it’s not in the bin, you don’t buy the next bit of food - because you don’t need."

My shopping is not that accurate. I'm not going to buy another loaf because I didn't finish my crusts.
I'm not going to give up eating bread and unfortunately it comes with crusts so I'll be continuing with the waste.

It’s not about you though, it’s about understanding the full supply chain of waste, and of what we teach our children.

Don’t like the taste or texture of a crust?
Fine - I never made mine eat them.

But things that you can do, that they can learn:

• cut off the crust rather leave it, can less waste
• look for crustless
• be open to trying a different bread where you like the crust
• swap to wraps
• swap to pasta and don’t have a sandwich at all
• make croutons
• make breadcrumbs
• feed the birds
• at least use the composter

All of that is what I want to teach my children. Don’t leave the crust and think - who cares? Don’t assume there is no impact, or that your small impact doesn’t add up.

All of that you can do whilst quite happily letting them not eat crusts.

What about that thing over there? Ooh look a squirrel!

All of that is what I want to teach my children. Don’t leave the crust and think - who cares? Don’t assume there is no impact, or that your small impact doesn’t add up.

Yes! It's not just about crusts, it's about the whole question of whether you are a wasteful person, or someone who tries to avoid waste where possible.