Do you always make too much food for yourself alone? Or did you actually expect that your guests would eat more and have you done your shopping with the motto rather too much than too little in mind? Check out the following tips to prevent food waste and help the environment!
Before you pull out your shopping bag and head out the door, it's better to check what you need. By planning the meals for the entire week in advance, you can see exactly what and how much of a product you need. Do you live alone and don't feel like eating the same thing 3 days in a row? Then you can also buy ingredients of which you can use half for one dish and the other half for another dish. Make sure that you don't have half of all the ingredients left and then throw it in the trash a week later. A well-organized kitchen cabinet with your food in it can also help you see what you do and don't need. So grab your containers and let's organize .
To be a bit kinder to the environment, it is important that we all buy less food pre-packaged in plastic. So instead of that bag of iceberg lettuce, just go for a head of lettuce and use it for your mealprep † You can also see if there is a store in your area where you can bring your own containers to refill in the store. This way you avoid having to buy plastic and you don't waste food - win-win!
If you had to buy packaging because there was no other option at your local supermarket, you can always unpack, cut and store your food in containers in the fridge. Not only is this easier to organize and you can immediately recycle your plastic, but it will undoubtedly make you more enthusiastic to eat healthier if you see all your snack tomatoes and cucumbers sorted in containers in the fridge.
Use the products that expire sooner first to avoid waste. For example, you cannot leave lettuce and cauliflower for days. Do you have children, guests or a partner who often skips the food on their plate that they don't like? Then choose to make a family dish where everyone has to scoop from the same pan to prevent the broccoli florets from remaining on the plates.
Do you still have food left over after cooking that you can no longer use or cannot finish? Then make sure you dispose of it in the right way and that it ends up in the GFT bins on the street. The same goes of course for all your paper, plastic and glass packaging, which you can all properly recycle. It is a small effort, but already contributes enormously!
