[Article updated on 19/09/2023]
In my previous article on the subject, I presented to you the very concept of Responsible Dietetics as I I was considering it. I gave you the first keys to start reducing your waste related to your way of consume.
Before reading on
I’m not an expert in this field, but I am passionate about nutrition and health.
The articles you’ll find on my site are the result of in-depth research that I’d like to share with you. However, I would like to stress that I am not a health professional and that my advice should in no way replace that of a qualified physician. I’m here to guide you, but it’s important that you consult a professional for specific questions or medical concerns. Your well-being is important. So be sure to consult the appropriate experts and take the best possible care of yourself.
To do this, I invited you to take stock of the waste you produce in order to identify the changes to make in your daily life. Then, you were able to prepare for the change by equipping yourself with airtight glass boxes, shopping bags, reusable bags, a yogurt maker why not, and by sorting out your kitchen cupboards! Finally, it was time to take action, by choosing to do your shopping locally, buying quality products and daring to use your reusable containers and fabric bags (which is not always easy!).
Today, I want to help you go even further in your Steps.
In Indeed, reducing waste linked to packaging does not allow necessarily reduce all waste in the kitchen. Waste greens and food waste are just as significant! Here are my ideas for going further.
Track #1: Choose quality over quantity
There the chore of shopping, we all know it… But if from now on, doing your shopping became an opportunity to start immersing yourself in good dishes and innovation (not to mention great cuisine however!)? Let your imagination speak when you see the fruits and vegetables in season, let yourself be carried away by their smells and their colors, and dare to test the foods that you do not know ! To avoid wasting, simply choose quality and seasonal products: no more tomatoes very round, very smooth and tasteless in the middle of winter! If you you’re not sure you like a new product, don’t buy it only a very small quantity to find out. By choosing short circuits, small traders and by going to the markets, you can also get advice to know how to cook foods you don’t know.
Let’s talk about fruits and vegetables. The question of their conservation is a real problem depending on your habitat. If you are lucky enough to have a cool room like a cellar, you can easily buy all your products for the week, but if you live in an apartment, it’s a little more complicated! Although it takes a little time and requires some organization, it is better to do some shopping in the middle of the week rather than throwing away products that could not be kept!
Track #2: Don’t overload your cupboards
There fear of emptiness and lack is a real scourge that comes from previous generations who experienced real difficulties in obtaining supplies, particularly during the war. Today, we have everything nearby (more or less) and except if your car does not want to start, you do not risk find yourself unable to go shopping last minute to be able to eat!
By elsewhere, the big promotions visible in supermarkets encourage people to buy more and more, under the cover of large savings… First of all, if you look closely at these promotions, the economy is rarely as interesting as it doesn’t seem like it… And generally, you don’t have time to eat it all and your product expires, which is a shame!
SO do you really need to buy 3 kg of pasta, 2 kg of rice, 1 kg of semolina, 5 kg of flour, 500 g of green tea and 500 g of coffee for your week together? Unless you have a family numerous, there is no real reason!
Only buy what you need to last until the next races, this will allow you to vary your diet more and take into account your current desires.
Track #3: Tidy up your fridge and cupboards
Do shopping can sometimes be time-consuming and when you get home, the reflex is sometimes to pile everything into the refrigerator and the cupboards, without necessarily any particular logic: we put food where there is room!
This is a mistake if you want to reduce your food waste! Start by identifying the coldest areas of the least cold areas of your refrigerator to place your products in the right place: fruits and vegetables in the warmest part, dairy products in the middle zone and meats and egg-based preparations (e.g. cream pastries) in the coldest zone. For your cupboards, choose transparent containers, this will allow you to see at a glance everything you have in stock, to be able to vary your dishes more and to see where your stocks are. Organize your cupboards by type of food and their use:
- Savory groceries: pasta, rice, lentils, split peas, some canned goods that help out…
- Sweet groceries : sugar, flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, dried fruits, almonds…
- Breakfast : tea, infusion, coffee, muesli, Honey…
- Etc.
Track n°4: Anticipate your meals and menus
If you have difficulty finding your ideas in front of the stalls or you do not know how to visualize the quantities to buy when you are there, I advise you to anticipate your shopping by thinking about your week’s menus then to draw up your list of races.
- How many meals will you make at home?
- How many people will be at the table?
- Do you have a family/friends meal planned?
- Do you have to prepare lunch meals at work?
- Do you have special schedules for a day of the week?
- Are you going to do sports?
- Do you have any particular desires?
So many questions that will allow you to better anticipate your menus and plan the quantities needed for your week.
Tip n°5: Learn to cook your green waste
If you buy your organic fruits and vegetables, you can very often consume the peelings.
Simple examples:
- Potatoes and carrots: if the skin is thin and not very damaged, you can easily eat it after cleaning it well. In a soup, you will only see fire! You can also use many vegetable tops in cooking (radishes, beets, carrots, etc.).
- Leeks: I notice that many people only eat the white part. Green is just as tasty, there’s no reason to throw it away!
- Squash: The skin of most squash is edible. Moreover, it is very difficult to peel them so between us, it suits us well! Pumpkin seeds can also be eaten: let them marinate in oil, salt and paprika for example and cook them for 10 minutes in the oven, it will be perfect to replace peanuts as an aperitif!
Many books are available to get ideas for recipes using peelings: try it and you will definitely adopt this cooking method!
Track n°6: Equip yourself with a worm composter/composter
As I already told you about it in my previous article, you can also equip yourself with a composter to avoid throwing away your green waste in the household trash: it all exists types of composters, even for apartments (odorless, such as worm composters)! You can also throw your eggshells, your cardboard (in small pieces and not printed), your paper towels and tissues (unprinted) although it There are washable fabric versions…
Do not hesitate not to document and equip yourself!