Waste not, want not! Food is one of the essential pillars of life and society. Good nutrition and wholesome food are basic needs for any healthy being. This is one way to achieve our daily calorie requirements. Yet, food wastage is a growing concern. Developing practical tips to reduce food waste is the need of the hour.
We have so many foods to choose from. Fruits and vegetables from different parts of the world are either imported or grown within the country, which makes them more accessible.
The need to dramatically reduce food wastage
Many reports and studies have been conducted to gather data about the extensive effect food wastage has. Today, the world sees about 1.3 billion tons of food go to waste. Food wastage is a humanitarian concern, especially since many underdeveloped countries suffer from major malnutrition diseases because of a lack of proper nutrition.
10 tips to reduce food waste
We often scrape off leftovers and half-eaten food. Untouched leftovers are easier to recycle, but what about half-eaten food? When we talk about food waste tips, the first thing to do is learn how much you can eat. When you eat, finish your plate before considering taking up another helping.
1. Get over the concept of ‘ugly’ food
One of the reasons we love watching MasterChef or the various food shows is that they plate the food in a gorgeous way. Making animals out of fruits makes us melt at the cuteness. However, discarding a fruit or vegetable simply because it does not “look like the said fruit” is a significant reason for food wastage. An apple will taste like an apple even if it is not looking like Snow White’s apple.
2. Buy only what you need
Foodies buy and eat all they can, but many a time, people living on their own end up buying things they will eventually toss away as the expiration date has arrived and gone by. Make a list of all the things you will eat. Buy only those, and you can always pop into the store if you are preparing meals for friends.
3. Refrigerate beverages
Leftover wine or milk should be refrigerated and can be used later to make scrumptious desserts.
4. Do not store certain foods beyond the shelf-life
If you buy fresh produce, make sure you purchase enough for three days. The same goes for eggs. This way, you can bid goodbye to rotten produce.
5. Make a compost for veggie skins
We often throw away loads of skins, and these contain major nutrients. While not all skins or fruits and vegetables are edible, you can blend them and add them as compost to your plants.
6. Make a juice out of single pieces of veggies/fruits
If you are planning to start a healthy diet, opt to blend the vegetables and fruits. This ensures less wastage, with more nutrients entering your system.
7. Try infused water
Water tastes so much better when you add fruits and herbs to it. This concept of infused water also helps contribute to lessening food wastage.
8. Keep tinned food in the pantry
Tinned vegetables and fruits are one of the saviors, and storing them properly ensures they will last long.
9. Cook in batches to reduce wastage
If you are the type to buy in bulk because you cannot go out after every third day to shop, cook in bulk and refrigerate the leftovers.
10. Know how to preserve and store
Proper storage also aids in preserving food. If you keep avocados (which have a high ethylene emission rate) along with apples (which are highly sensitive to ethylene), you will soon have rotten apples.
Once you eat smart, you learn to shop smart. Reducing food waste is one major step toward saving the environment. And if you still wonder how one person can cause a dramatic change, remember the Indian saying that it takes each and every drop of water to form the ocean.
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