Since March marks Vitamin Month in Canada, Eat Well Saskatchewan (EWS) within the College of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Faculty of Pharmacy and Vitamin is difficult the general public to #ReduceMyFoodWaste. Use the hashtag #ReduceMyFoodWaste all through the month to point out the way you make your meals go additional, for an opportunity to be featured on the EWS social media pages and for an opportunity to win weekly prizes.
That can assist you get began, Carrie Verishagen, registered dietitian and director of EWS, shared some suggestions and tips on methods to save in your grocery invoice whereas serving to the atmosphere.
The next solutions have been edited for size and readability.
Q: How do I do know I’m overbuying meals?
A: A positive approach to know if you’re overbuying meals is if you’re consistently throwing it away. One of the simplest ways to forestall overbuying is to plan your meals forward based mostly on the substances you may have at dwelling. Earlier than you go to the grocery retailer, make a menu plan for the week, verify what substances you may have available after which make a listing of what you want and follow it.
Q: What’s a typical mistake that individuals make whereas grocery buying?
A: They don’t follow their grocery listing or they don’t make a listing in any respect. This may result in making pointless or impulse purchases which will go to waste or overbuying on sale gadgets that you just may not be capable to use. One other frequent mistake individuals make goes grocery buying hungry. Once we are hungry we are inclined to ‘store with our abdomen’ as an alternative of our mind. Have a snack earlier than you go to forestall overspending on meals that odor superb that you just don’t essentially want.
Q: What ought to I keep away from buying?
A: There is no such thing as a one meals it is advisable to keep away from. Nonetheless, for those who discover you might be throwing away plenty of meals, there are some methods you need to use to attempt to lower wastage. For instance, if you’re throwing away plenty of vegatables and fruits, attempt buying frozen or canned as an alternative, which have a for much longer shelf life. Root greens resembling potatoes, beets or carrots additionally are inclined to final lots longer than leafy greens.
Q: How can I safely use the wilting greens which are in my fridge?
A: Many vegatables and fruits that could be wilting or are close to the tip of their life cycle can nonetheless be used. For instance, in case you have berries or spinach close to expiry, you possibly can freeze them for smoothies, or use wilting greens in soups. Probably the greatest methods to cut back meals waste is to make the most of your freezer. In the event you discover that you just purchased too many greens or stocked up on one thing on sale that you could’t use, merely blanch it, and freeze it for future use. Brown bananas could be thrown straight into the freezer for later use in baking or smoothies.
Q: Do expiration dates matter?
A: Expiration dates do matter however most meals include one thing referred to as a finest earlier than date fairly than an expiry date. When meals listing a finest earlier than date, it implies that it’s best to eat the meals earlier than that date for optimum flavour and high quality. However many meals stay suitable for eating previous this date. If you’re questioning for those who can eat a meals that’s previous its finest earlier than date, study it for indicators of spoilage and if you’re not sure, all the time use the rule: When doubtful, throw it out. To forestall meals from reaching their expiry or finest earlier than date, attempt to observe a primary in, first out (FIFO) strategy.
Q: What’s the correct approach to protect or put together meals at dwelling?
A: To forestall meals waste, there are some steps that may be taken to retailer meals correctly. For instance, attempt to retailer meat and dairy within the coldest elements of the fridge (not within the door). Dairy, eggs and meats ought to all the time be saved on the underside and leftovers on the higher a part of the fridge. Sure fruits resembling apples and pears emit ethylene, which may make different fruits ripen quicker, so retailer these fruits away from different produce. Figuring out methods to retailer your vegatables and fruits correctly can have a big effect on how lengthy they final. For extra info, attempt an app such because the FoodKeeper app to find out about the best methods to retailer your fruits and veggies.
Q: Any tips about turning leftovers into one other meal?
A: Plan forward. If you’re shopping for a roast hen however know you’ll solely be consuming half, plan to have one other meal that week with hen resembling a hen quesadilla, hen soup or hen salad sandwiches. Leftover meat and greens could be become many dishes. Throw leftover meat or beans and greens over a grain like rice of quinoa for an influence bowl. Or scramble eggs with leftover greens and cheese. Leftovers may also be simply frozen for future meals. If you already know you gained’t eat an entire pot of chili and don’t wish to eat all of it week, freeze half and use it for an additional meal later that month, or portion into particular person containers and freeze for straightforward lunches on the go.