The Clash Between Portion Control and the Environment

by Jennifer Otten

I teach a weight loss group in the environmentally conscious state of Vermont. In a recent class, my group raised the issue that as they try to control their portion sizes they are finding themselves battling their environmental conscience.

For example, one participant controls the amount of sugar in her coffee by using individual packets instead of the large, glass sugar shaker from which one could pour sugar. She feels guilty. In the past she says she used the sugar shaker to avoid the paper waste of the individual packets. Others had concerns over buying the individual serving sizes of yogurt. They were used to buying the larger yogurt containers and then eating from those. But they found they couldn’t control their portion size as well. They also felt guilty and wondered: were they now preserving their own health at the expense of our future, collective environment?

As a class, we discussed the use of products that provided natural serving sizes, such as fruits and vegetables. The class pointed out that they can continue to buy some things in bulk and then pre-measure servings into re-usable bags for lunch.

Another question from the class: how much energy does it take to produce all the extra food that they NOW don’t eat in those huge portion sizes at restaurants? Were they wasting more than calories?

I found myself wishing I had some better answers for them. A quick exploration on the internet did not seem to produce much information. So, I’m curious. What would your response be to these questions? Are there efforts to create products that can help us control portion size without creating more waste? For example, a sugar shaker that produces one exact teaspoon on every pour or a larger yogurt container with serving markers on the side of the container? And, are there resources out there for environmentally-conscious, weight-conscious individuals who want the best for their environment AND their health?

Comments

[april]

This is an easy one.

I carry a teaspoon and a tablespoon with me. I also, in my lunch bag for work, carry a 1 cup measuring cup so that I may measure my yogurt or cottage cheese from the larger container.

It's no harder than carrying a travel mug rather than using a paper cup for coffee.

Re: too large portions in restaurants: carry your own ziplock bags, which you can then go home, wash out, and re-use, and bag up any leftovers.

We do all of these things, and it's just not that difficult.

april

[Mara]

My advice? I'd tell them all to make a choice: either feel guilty and bad about eating a bit too much or feel guilty and bad about ruining the environment. But not both.

[mg]

Zoom the lens out for a second. I'm worried about the mental health situation here. Is it a good sign when people become overconcerned with minutiae and burdened with guilt over how they pour sugar?

[Becca]

Very interesting, Jen! I have been experiencing a similar internal struggle as I read Barbara Kingsolver's new book (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle). Transitioning to vegetarianism for environmental and health reasons has been challenging enough, but then there is the local foods component. At what point, do we say, "I have done my best, and I will leave THAT crusade to someone else.

[Melanie]

Jennifer - great post! It inspired me to write my own article about the 'issue'! It's actually something I haven't given a lot of thought to before.

Hopefully our readers will come up some great ideas too!

Thanks for your post!

[William Landay]

"They also felt guilty and wondered: were they now preserving their own health at the expense of our future, collective environment?"

This is a perfect example of how the mind invents reasons to preserve ignorance. Ignorance is a comfy state for the ignorant, and to eliminate ignorance is death for the ignorant mind. So people try to rationalize away information that threatens to end their ignorance.

"What about the environment? I can't end my self-destructive behavior. I'm hurting the planet!"

I can't think of a more ridiculous excuse than that.

You need to be straight with these people. Tell them that they're acting on neuroses and need to stop it--if not stop, at least become conscious of what they are doing (which will stop the behavior). Because the questions never end. Even if you could meet the irrational standard of evidence these people demand, they will create new questions as surely as a drowning man gasps for air.

I recommend telling them, any time you catch yourself making excuses, to immediately say out loud, "I'm making excuses, and I need to stop doing that." If you recognize and admit the excuse-making, it will stop.

Why would excuse-making continue, if you recognize and admit that you're making excuses? The only way it can continue is if you refuse to let go of the deluded belief that you're being reasonable.

[Persephone]

Ugh. I hate to agree with the facist again, but this sounds like an elaborate rationalization for not doing any work at all to stay healthy.

[Noah Scales]

Ms. Otten, The Center for Science In The Public Interest offers the following resource on eating green:

http://www.cspinet.org/EatingGreen/
or
http://tinyurl.com/2vqgsn

To respond to the question about food energy wasted to produce food:

1. human appetite does not allow you to precisely tune your food consumption to the caloric amount of your prior meals, so let the food go to waste rather than to your waist. If you compost, take the food home to compost.

2. In general, the fossil fuel required to raise, feed, slaughter, pack, transport, and store livestock meat is several times greater is used produce fresh vegetables and grains.

See this press release of work done by Dr. Pimentel's ecology students at Cornell:

http://tinyurl.com/2d8evq

-Noah