21. Harmful food. It is an issur of bal tashchis of the body to eat food detrimental to one’s health (אבות דר' נתן פכ"ו מ"ה, ס' ברכת השם סי' ג' אות מ'). Therefore, there is no issur of bal tashchis to throw away such food.
22. Candy. However, there is no issur of bal tashchis of the body to eat food that is not harmful to most people. There are many candies that are not healthy at all but are also not harmful in small amounts. One who eats these does not transgress bal tashchis of the body. Thus, parents who do not want their children to eat all the candy they received due to its sugar content and food coloring should give it to a gemach or others who will eat it, but they should not throw it away.
23. Overeating. Similarly, there is an issur of bal tashchis of the body to eat so much food that it is harmful. It is important to know that one’s body is not a garbage can. Thus, if one is eating out and his host is pressuring him to eat a lot, although Chazal said (פסחים פ”ו: ) “Do whatever your host tells you” (שו"ע סי' ק"ע ס"ה ), if eating more will be harmful or he is full and eating more will be achiloh gasoh, he should not obey his host. Since doing so would be an issur of bal tashchis of the body, there is no issur of bal tashchis on the food left over.
24. Small children. However, when parents encourage their children to finish what is on their plates, they may tell them it is bal tashchis if they do not, since parents can assess how much their children need to eat and encourage them to eat that amount.
