“Lose A Pound A Week”: Reduce Food Waste
It only makes sense to start any diet, even a trash diet with a discussion about food.
Does this sound familiar?
You like to think you eat healthy and you buy lots of fresh fruit and vegetables expecting to eat them during the week. Then, you come home from work every night worn out and just pop something in the microwave. When the weekend comes around and you finally have time to prepare a meal. You open the fridge and discover that all those healthy fruits and veggies and turned into a soggy mess. A recent study showed that 25% of all household food waste was from fruits and vegetables.
There are several proven ways to reduce the volume of food waste your household generates:
- Shop smart!
Have a plan and a list when you grocery shop. Many of us base our food purchases on our perception of how we should eat instead of how we actually eat. Before you shop, think about your schedule for that week, how much you'll be able to cook, and how much will actually get eaten.
Avoid buying fresh food in bulk if you usually don't get through it before the
food goes bad. Buying large quantities to save money doesn’t work if you
end up throwing out food you don’t use.
- Cook & serve smaller portions at home.
It’s no secret that we Americans
like our big servings. We don't like to see the plate - it should be piled high
with food! It’s usually too much food, and it either goes to waste when you are too full to finish your plate, or have leftovers that never get their chance to be eaten.
- Freeze your left overs.
Freeze fresh or cooked food if you know you won't
be able to use it in time.
- Compost.
A survey of participants in a Madison home composting study
showed that the average household composted 220 pounds of food waste per year. View complete information on how to compost at home.
How to Lose a Pound a Week
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