A Simple Guide to Fighting Food Waste

We tend to convince ourselves that we simply must make these big AF steps in life in order to make ourselves feel like we’ve made a significant difference within our local communities ─ exhibit feeling the need to start our own company, foundation, non-profit or humanitarian trip, just cause everyone else is doing it.

Truth be told though, it's the small choices that we make every single day that, at the end of it all, are the most significant.

Small steps to bettering ourselves translate into the small gestures that we put into the many aspects of our lives every single day ─ which eventually become…better habits! It can look like:

Going on a walk outside to get some fresh air and to shake some stress out of our day;
Getting a good night’s sleep;
Enjoying the weekend by not doing anything;
Buying an item from a local artist or a small business;
Listening to a friend or a significant other rant about something that’s been on their mind for a while;
Working out with a friend or a family member;
Taking the time to call or visit a friend, a loved one or a family member;
Cooking ourselves a decent meal (and flexing it on the ‘gram);
Saying no to an engagement or an event;
Actively supporting a cause that you care about or believe in (directly or indirectly);
Etc.

It’s really the combination of these elements that reflect the #self-care we all deserve and need (Curious to know more? Be sure to click here). Here’s something new to add onto the list of things that we should care about…

The environment!

Or more specifically, our food waste.

Food Waste & Its Impact

Did you know?

Roughly one third of the food produced that is intended for human consumption every year (around 1.3 billion tons and valued at USD$1 trillion) is wasted or lost, an amount enough to feed 3 billion people!
The water used to produce the food wasted could be used by 9 billion people at around 200 litres per person per day.
Food loss and food waste accounts for about 4.4 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) annually.
Food losses translate into lost income for farmers and higher prices for consumers.
Crops are sometimes left unharvested because they do not meet supermarket quality, which is often determined by appearance.

Reducing your food waste can help you…

1. Save money.

Take a moment to think about some of the foods that you buy at the grocery store that end up being left sitting in your fridge…to eventually go to waste! (My vice: herbs).

2. Reduce your carbon footprint.

Food waste tends to play a huge part! Do your part in contributing to the betterment of the planet.

3. Practice your cooking skills!

Get crafty in the kitchen by thinking up fun & creative ways to use your leftover produce #bananabreadfordays.

Tips & Tricks to Reducing Your Food Waste

1. Use yesterday’s leftovers as a base for another meal.

Best kept secret: repurposing leftovers is every single person’s guide to becoming a great home-chef! Here are a some examples of creative ways to reuse certain food items in the kitchen:

Use leftover tomato soup as a base for a Bolognese sauce;
Use leftover vegetables, rice, quinoa, legumes, meat, or seeds to make a beautiful Buddha bowl;
Use everything left in the fridge to whip up a delicious, nourishing omelette;
Or my personal fave, using my leftovers to make an epic pizza.

2. Plan ahead your meals

Still a beginner at meal prepping? For some useful tips & tricks, click here.

3. Keep the products that spoil the fastest at the front of your fridge.

Keep perishable food items at eye level, so you can see them whenever you open it and are more prompted to eat it first.

4. Freeze extra fruits & vegetables and save it for later!

Frozen fruits & veggies make for great…

Snacks;
Smoothies;
Stir frys;
Soups;
Stews;
Etc.

5. Compost your kitchen waste

Make use of your personal or community brown bin and let Mama Earth do her thang.

6. Be sure to take a photo of your fridge to take note of inventory before shopping for groceries.

This will prevent you from stocking up on something you may already have.

7. Don’t go shopping for groceries hungry.

The feeling of hunger can easily tap into our basic human instincts: opting for salt-y, sugar-y and fatty foods ─ cue the easy-to-grab chips, candy bars and sugary beverages.