Unhealthy Food as Holiday Gifts?

[Marioarm2]

Hello All,

First off I apologize if this has already been posted, or I'm in the wrong section of the forums.. I wasn't able to find what I was looking for.

So my question/predicament is what do you do with the gifts you receive from friends and family when you receive unhealthy candy, crackers, processed food, etc.? I've considered just tossing all the candy and junk food in the trash, but then I felt guilty since I know some of the items were not cheap and hard to find. I've also considered putting it in the break room at work, or giving it to different family/friends, but then I thought I'm doing a disservice to them and their health by offering them these same sweets.

What do YOU do when you receive non-whole 30/paleo treats as gifts for special occasions?

[SugarcubeOD]

Anything that I don't use including bath products with chemicals I"m against and food I don't eat goes to charity... find a food bank or charity in your area... unfortunately healthy eating is a privilege that people who rely on foodbanks don't have as much access to and those crackers etc... could be the difference between being hungry and not being hungry.  Definitely don't throw them out.

[Marioarm2]

1 hour ago, SugarcubeOD said:

Anything that I don't use including bath products with chemicals I"m against and food I don't eat goes to charity... find a food bank or charity in your area... unfortunately healthy eating is a privilege that people who rely on foodbanks don't have as much access to and those crackers etc... could be the difference between being hungry and not being hungry.  Definitely don't throw them out.

@SugarcubeOD Do they take candy and "junk" food? I have foreign chocolate bars, Cadbury eggs, and Trader Joe's cookies and chocolate covered crackers. I've only ever donated canned goods with a long shelf life to charity.

[SugarcubeOD]

I believe so... Maybe give them a call?  If that doesn't work and you're comfortable, I'd take them down to your local soup kitchen or homeless shelter... what a nice treat for people who don't often get that type of food.

[praxisproject]

Homeless shelters and aged care facilities will often take unwanted gifts, sometimes more than food.

[MeadowLily]

Throw all unwanted food out into the bin.  If it's not something you would feed your family, think even higher quality of food for kids and their mothers in a shelter/food bank. My husband gets a Christmas bonus and monetary awards throughout the year.  He uses those to buy food and hygiene kits for kids and their mothers. They like towels, pajamas, toothbrushes/toothpaste/hand lotion and so on.  He loads up on tuna kits and other portable food items.  I'm with you, toss all of that junk food out. I would have absolutely no problem throwing all of it away.  If it's not good for my teeth and health, it's not good for theirs either. Give your best, it's sooo worth it. 

[NoMoreCrunchyCravings]

May seem inconvenient, but anything from stores you can recognize (ie: Trader Joe or other grocery chains), you can actually bring the items back there. All major grocery stores will take back unopened products and will issue a store credit that you can use to buy something worthwhile. Trader Joe takes back even opened products and will give you a credit for a different purchase. Can be very worth it if you've got lots of stuff to unload.