Though not often, many a time, don’t we give in to binge eating? have we not wasted food on our plate at times, instead of serving ourselves with only what we need? It’s time for us to reflect on how much have we valued the worth of nutrition? I must admit that I have several times in the past, been not careful about the quantity of food I was preparing and realized my mistake only when the leftover was a lot, and was eventually thrown off.

We definitely learn from our mistakes and try not to commit them twice. But is it the same when it comes to food? When the availability of food is not scarce, we tend to ignore the fact that, our ‘needs’ must be prioritized and not our ‘wants’. Nutrition is a need for the growth, development, and health of our body. We must be mindful when spending on food items, while serving ourselves at mealtime, or while preparing food in huge quantities.

There are families in many parts of the world, who are not able to afford a one-time meal, children who are malnourished, people in need of clean water to drink. So, we must be grateful for the nutritious food and the clean water available to us and use it in the right way and required amount, and when possible reach out to those in need. This makes us value the true worth of nutrition.

Our children will learn this worth if we lead by example. They see what we do, they emulate us. In the future, these little children will become responsible adults and disseminate their values and knowledge to form a responsible community, only if we inculcate in them, good habits by being their role models.

Here are a few ways that could help us towards creating an awareness in our families on the worth of nutrition:

1. Avoid purchasing huge amounts of food packets even when they are discounted packets if you are unsure about the consumption.
2. When trying a new dish do not order a big quantity, as it might get wasted if you are not so fond of that new taste.
3. Teach children to have only the required amount of food on their plate and not to simply fill it with more than what they can consume.
4. Eat fresh and avoid preparing too much so that you don’t have too much leftover that would get discarded later on.
5. Check the date of expiry while purchasing the food ingredients, so that you can decide if you will use it up before the date and won’t waste it.

Let us be mindful of the way we deal with food.