[lucb1e]

Honestly, I'd be happy if obese people (the article mentions 40% of USA citizens) left food on their plates. We're taught that it's a waste and that we should finish it out of respect, but that's illogical and harmful. I know someone who's morbidly obese but will always try to finish her plate due to these norms.

Parents use the argument about poor kids in Africa (at least my parents did) but that makes no sense. If I eat less, the banana doesn't magically appear on the plate of a poor family. There are only a billion people left in extreme poverty despite the recent (100 years) population explosion, and with some effort, most of them will soon have enough food, too. But reducing waste won't help; buying less would help. So instead, the parents should be berating themselves for getting the portion size wrong and having bought too much, instead of teaching kids to overeat and what a sin it is to leave food on the plate.

It's very hard to change these beliefs and habits, I'm curious what your thoughts are on this after reading my reasoning (which is by no means perfect, I might be wrong or explaining it wrong).