Sustaining

Simple Ways to Cut Down on Food Waste

Food waste in America is a major problem. In fact, about a pound of food per person is wasted each day in the United States. This is quite a substantial amount of consumable food being thrown away. So what do we do?

There are some easy steps to take to ensure that you don’t contribute to the problem. These tips are easy to incorporate into your everyday lifestyle. They’ll save you money on your grocery bill and help you be mindful of your habits when it comes to food.

Check Your Shopping List

It’s easy to go into the supermarket and leave with a cart full of things that weren’t on your list. Seriously, we’ve all done it. Consider planning your meals for the week with specific portions in mind so that you don’t overcook and waste any ingredients.

The tricky part is sticking to your grocery list while browsing the aisles. If you find yourself reaching for extra fresh veggies or fruit because they’re on sale, make sure you’ll use them before they go bad. You don’t want to be stuck with a cart full of food that you won’t have time to cook or eat.

Related: “What To Know About the Root to Stem Movement”

Store Your Food Correctly

Storing your food correctly can make all the difference. There are so many tricks and tips you can find online in order to preserve your fresh fruits and veggies for longer. It’s also important to have a quality set of Tupperware or Pyrex so that you can store leftovers correctly, without air seeping in. Air will make your food rot faster.

It’s also important to have your fridge and freezer set at optimal temperatures. Ideally, your fridge should be set at 40 degrees and your freezer should be set at 0 degrees.

Think Outside Of The Box

In order to cut back on food waste, it’s vital to eat leftovers. However, there are other parts of food that can be used creatively if you just learn to think outside of the box. For example, coffee grounds can be used to make a body scrub for shower time.

Other things to consider: making stock from meat bones, freezing leftovers, and fruits and vegetables for later use, cooking down overripe tomatoes to make a sauce, and repurposing leftovers into a new meal.

 Compost

If you have a garden, creating compost to fertilize your flowers and vegetables is a great idea and will surely help cut down on how much food you waste. To create proper compost, do your research on what should and should not be incorporated. Ideally, you want to stick with natural and organic substances.

Related: :”Composting 101″

Once you have your compost set up, turn it regularly so it can properly decompose over time so that it will be ready for spring gardening. This will save you money when it comes to planting your garden. Plus, you’ll love being able to simply dump in the raw ingredients such as celery tops and eggshells, to do your part in eliminating food waste in the United States.

-Laurie Riihimaki

Photo: Pexels.com

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Laurie Riihimaki is a full-time freelance writer, editor, and busy-bee covering topics such as sex and relationships, holistic medicine and self-care, and career and personal development. Laurie's background and studies with theatre in Boston, London, and New York City have helped her to create a fun, comical voice that she utilizes in her writing. When she is not writing for work, Laurie puts time into developing novels, poetry, and personal essays. And when she isn't writing she is spending time directing, acting, painting, exploring nature, reading, or spending time with family and her dog, of course.

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