#4 Food Baby

I love food whether it is Mexican, Asian, Greek, or Italian. When I REALLY love my food, I get what many of you know as a "FOOD BABY,"the term itself is a self-explanatory euphemism for eating past a healthy limit. My friends and I even NAME our food babies based on the food's heritage, stereotypically Juan Pablito, Toni, or even Nemo. 
As horrible as we sound, it lessens the burden of guilt involved with eating the serving size that was given to us. I usually pick the healthiest thing on the menu, such as a completely vegan bowl at Chipotle, or a pasta-free dish at Olive Garden, yet I still fall VICTIM to the "finish your plate" mentality. It may be just the Depression-era "waste not want not" ideals handed down, or the inconvenience of taking home a doggy-bag but I find that a "food baby" is a popular predicament. Most if not all Amero-centro holidays thrive on the idea that our eyes are often bigger than our stomachs. 
It doesn't help that most food served is either SALTY or sugary and served with soda or worse. Healthy choices are promoted at many restaurants, many menus now include calorie count, ingredients and point out vegan, "glutard" and or "lactard", friendly. 
With all the eating disorders developing, allergies becoming more dominant, and dieting becoming necessary, restaurants have changed their menus to create a "safe environment" for those looking to stick within a certain lifestyle. However what most do not account for is portion control. 

It may seem that these "healthy alternatives" to fast-food or the freezer section are really helpful and harmless but be prepared to think again. As a society, we have developed an EMOTIONAL relationship with food. We all have our "comfort food" whatever it may be, our "e'ry day" choices, and the late night "munchies."Eating should be an ENJOYABLE yet simple underlying foundation to life yet somehow it has become a showcase event. Taking into account that food companies, no matter how TASTY the product, are still businesses has greatly changed the way I consume food on a regular basis. Falling into a unhealthy relationship with food now seems like a cultural rite of passage in our country, but it SHOULD NOT and DOES NOT have to be that way.