Your Parents’ Love Might Be Ruining Your Waistline and the Planet

Anybody who's spent the better part of a semester at art school begging friends for cafeteria swipes and dumpster diving with some freegans knows the feeling of relief and amazement upon returning home and being met with a near-unlimited supply of free food. College sure as hell isn't the real world, but having to suddenly fend for yourself in any capacity for the first time in your life is a surefire way to appreciate the love and comfort a home-cooked meal provides.

Sadly, it's this same familial love and comfort that has been ravishing the environment in a seriously bad way. Plus, it's probably been making you fatter, although you likely suspected that already.

Parents who express their love through food may be contributing to food waste and negatively altering the environment. So says a new study published in the Journal of Food Products Marketing.

Researchers from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, the Getulio Vargas Foundation, and Embrapa—the research division of the Brazilian ministry of agriculture—looked at lower and middle-class families in both New York and Brazil. They found that providing a bounteous board for those you love can seriously screw shit up. It contributes to obesity, it makes people overspend, and perhaps worst of all, it massively contributes to food waste.

"It's kind of ironic," said Gustavo Porpino, lead author of the study, in a statement. "Caregivers do everything they can to fit the traditional role of a 'good mother.' They keep the house fully stocked with all kinds of food, provide snacks and treats in between meals, and make sure everyone has more than enough on their plates at the table, but it's these same behaviors that lead to wasted food, wasted money, and even to obesity."

Twenty caregivers participated in the study. They submitted to interviews, were observed, and photos of them in action were examined. Caregivers involved with the study were either from lower middle-class families in Brazil or similar income level households in upstate New York. Their behavior was examined to see if they wasted food.

Results were as you might expect: Mothers who expressed their love towards their families—as well as people who had experienced food insecurity in the past—were contributing to food waste. They did so by overstocking their pantries and adding healthy side dishes to a table already filled with unhealthy ones. Leftovers quickly became food waste.

"By recognizing that resources are wasted as a result of over-preparing food, people may be more open to exploring other ways to show their affection," Porpino added. "The good intentions are there, all we have to do is work on how they're expressed!"

Is there any solution to the overfeeding mother? The researchers believe connecting food pantries with nutritional educators and initiatives could possibly get them to reduce food waste in this population.

Looks like if you really love your family, you might want to give them a little less food to eat.