Kyla Peek

Out of these resources that produce food, the waste that most motivates me to change my behavior relating to food waste is the amount of water wasted and the hours of labor. These most motivate me because wasting water can result in a drought and that shortage of water is not beneficial for anyone in the environment and the hours of labor that go into producing crops to be consumed by customers is essential and may be taken for granted most of the time. These resources are needed and if the people producing the food on our tables are working for low wages in bad conditions, we should fight to change that and respect the food they make accessible for consumers.   

Aside form environmental benefits, some benefits that could come with eating and serving smaller portions is that it can help people reach their weight loss goals faster because they are not eating as much, but still are receiving nutritional benefits. It will also result in less waste of food in the house and leave more to eat over a longer period of time as leftovers because people will not put so much on their plate thinking they are very hungry and end up only eating some of it and throwing the rest away.  It is always easier to get more food if they decide after the first plate they are still hungry. Reaching these weight loss goals and becoming healthier and becoming more aware of the food going into your body are all benefits to eating smaller portions.  

I think the main reason people in richer countries consume more meat is because access to meat is a limited resource to those who can afford it. People with fitness goals for example, consumer more red meat and chicken than the average person in order to maintain a high protein diet. Eating more meat affects our body negatively because it can contain high saturated fats, leading to high cholesterol levels which can cause heart diseases, This is mostly found from red meat and processed meats. It negatively affects the planet because land is used to raise cattle instead of producing crops taking up about 45% of all land in the U.S.. Animals require a lot of water and vegetation during their lifetime to prepare them for slaughter as well. It impacts other people maybe because of their religious beliefs of eating meat and what they value.

I have noticed that when I eat mindfully versus eating distracted, I tend to stop eating as soon as I feel full and also practice eating smaller portions because I am not "bored eating" which I sometimes do when I am on my phone or computer during a meal. I think this is beneficial because I can eat less food more often throughout the day instead of bigger meals.