|
Essential Oils |
Bella Mira Essential Oil Supplements
Essential Oil Information and Use
|
Gluten Free |
Gluten Free Living and Recipes
|
Important Information |
Detoxification and Digestion Products
Save Your Computer Free Protection
|
Great Products |
|
FREE Wellness Tests |
Hormone Balance Test New Improved
.gif)
|
Contact Us |
Our Shopping Cart Is:
Are you gonna eat that? How to curb food waste 7-11-08
We throw away about 14 percent of the grub we buy, studies suggest
By Karen Collins, R.D.
Amidst growing concerns about rising food prices and global warming, many
Americans are taking a closer look at what they do — and don’t — eat.
Research in the U.S. estimates that at least 14 percent of purchased food ends
up in the garbage. Some may view this as a call to return to the “clean your
plate” mentality emblematic of the mid-twentieth century, but this would be
unwise. With a skyrocketing obesity epidemic and a mounting national health
crisis, it’s time for a new approach. Instead, we should view these statistics
as motivation to reduce waste, cut grocery costs and safeguard our health by
shopping and eating smarter.
Food waste reportedly makes up about 12 percent of landfill material. Aside from
the costly operating budgets of these facilities, the environment is paying the
real price. As organic materials (like vegetables, fruits and grains) decompose
in landfills, they release the greenhouse gas methane into the environment.
In fact, landfills are the largest source of methane emissions in the U.S. While
composting plant foods, which does not produce methane, is one solution,
strategies for wasting less food should also be explored.
Watch what you buy
According to a government-funded survey in the UK, one major source of food
waste is “over shopping.” Buying more food than we need is easy to do when we
shop without a list or when “buy one, get one free” offers tempt us to pile food
that will often go to waste into our grocery carts
The solution: shop smarter. Check your refrigerator to see what needs to be used
or frozen before it spoils. Check your calendar to see if there are meals that
you know you will be eating away from home.
Lessons in leftovers
To make sure your leftovers are safe, follow these rules:
— Refrigerate cooked food within two hours.
— Clearly label and date leftovers.
— Reheat solids to 165 degrees and bring soup to a rolling boil.
— When reheating in the microwave, cover and let food stand for five minutes to
let the heat distribute throughout.
Before you go to the store, decide how many days worth of food you need. Then,
take a few minutes to formulate a shopping list. Don’t make things complicated —
no need to decide what will be served each day — just plan enough breakfast,
lunch and dinner meals to last until your next grocery run.
Cheap food isn't always a bargain
Be flexible when you shop — it’s OK to adjust your list if you see something on
special. For non-perishable foods like cereal and pasta, only buy sale items
that you are sure to use.
If perishable items are on special, choose them as a replacement for something
else you had planned or buy and freeze for later use. Foods that you don’t like
or that are unhealthy are no bargain — regardless of the sticker price.
Fill your grocery cart without busting your budget
What if you still have leftovers? If you consistently prepare more food than you
need, the simplest solution is to cook less. While this may seem obvious, many
of us continue to cook the portions we always have, even when our households
shrink in size or when we stop eating as much food as we used to.
Another approach is to plan ahead to repurpose leftovers as the basis for one or
two new meals each week. The money you save from purchasing fewer meals will add
up substantially. Leftover chicken can go on pizza, a burrito or in chili or
soup. Extra fish or seafood is a great addition to a salad or a pasta dish. And
already cooked vegetables (or fresh veggies that won’t last much longer) can be
combined in a stir-fry, soup or chili. Before you let fruit go to waste, add it
to your morning cereal bowl or a green salad.
© 2008 MSNBC Interactive
Comment:
I find this very interesting because we fill up our garbage can every 3-4 weeks and all our neighbors have overflow every week! You can easily judge someone's health by their garbage. Those with less garbage tend to be healthier!