8 tips to prevent food waste

 This video about food waste from the BBC highlights just how much food is wasted in developed countries. Some of it is due to confusion about labeling but much of it is due to carelessness. Food has become so cheap that we don't value it and discard it easily.

This is balanced by the unfortunate sadness of obesity, too many people consuming too much food (and often the wrong kinds of foods but that's a topic for another day).  So while I don't encourage polishing off your plate if you have eaten enough, I also don't encourage throwing away large amounts of food.

Given the high number of people who don't have enough to eat in the premier nations, let alone the rest of the world, this is a major issue. If we continue to think there's not enough food we continue to pave the way for GMO foods.  And as we've seen, increased use of GMOs causes increased use of pesticides not the decrease that was initially promised.  GMO also appears to be causing a huge increase in Irritable Bowel Disorders as it destroys intestinal flora.

So what are we to do about food waste?  How do we address this issue and stop the senseless destruction of massive amounts of food.  Food which took many man-hours to grow, nurture, harvest, transport, produce, and provide?  Food which someone had to work hard to earn the money to pay for it.  Food which might have provided a meal to someone in need.

One is to look at our consumption habits.  If we routinely throw out certain fresh foods perhaps we're buying too much.  If we collect foods in containers, letting them turn grey and fuzzy before we throw them out, perhaps we are preparing too much.  Or perhaps we're not just packaging them attractively enough to be appealing for a second or third meal.

In our house we've implemented a few of the following strategies to help reduce food waste.

• Shop more frequently:  I know this is a pain in the rear.  However, while I have a fully stocked pantry of staple products, I find I do better when I shop 2-3 times per week for fresh items buying only what I need for the next couple of days.  This requires menu planning and making it a habit to not impulse buy. 
• Only buy what you will use:  This can be a challenging habit to implement.  Oftentimes we purchase because it's on sale.  Or we think 'I've always wanted to make that.'  Perhaps we say to ourselves 'I think I just saw a recipe for that.'  And if we don't get to that item, it winds up in the trash.  If we only buy what we know we will use there will be much less waste.
• Plan for leftovers:  With only three people in the house, all on varying schedules, I have had to change my cooking habits.  When I cook a whole chicken, for example, I already know the meals that will be the result of that meal, having several recipes that call for cooked chicken.
• Scaling back:  No longer cooking for five people on a daily basis I have learned to scale back family favorite recipes or to know that half of the meal will be stored in the freezer for a later meal.
• Sharing purchases:  I've been building a network of friends with whom I can share larger purchases.  For example, 10 pounds of onions is much less expensive than purchasing them either on a per pound basis or in a three pound bag.  However unless I'm planning on making frequent batches of onion soup I can't go through it all quickly enough.  If I share with one or two friends we all get the benefit of the less expensive price and there is bound to be less waste.
• Attractive use of leftovers:  (That sounds rather silly but I couldn't think of a better way to phrase it).  Using wide mouth pint jars to make a meal-in-a-jar from leftovers somehow seems much more attractive to people than looking at a collection of plastic containers where you have to open and peer at each one to decide which one(s) you want to eat.  This food saving tip also includes learning to make a composed plate with perhaps one new food (usually a quick saute of some kind) and arranging everything well on the plate.  If you put the same attention into arranging a plate of leftovers as you do a plate of fresh cooked food, people will respond positively.  If you plop it wherever on the plate and just lump it there, they are less enthused about the meal.
• Rummage cooking:  I'd love to see a t.v. show on this concept (rather than the immensely stocked everything-you-could-imagine pantries) and it's one that takes a bit of practice.  This is where I notice that the refrigerator is getting full.  I look at the ingredients and begin to plan what I can make for a menu using up those last bits.  I'll confess that in the beginning it was usually a soup or stew.  But as I learned to put flavor profiles together we began to have more varied meals.  While not all of them are successful as a "menu" they are all tasty and a great way to prevent waste.
• Serve smaller portions:  It's always better to go back for seconds than to have too much on the plate.  Studies have shown that we eat more than we think if we have larger portions in front of us.

I'd love to hear your tips and tricks for preventing food waste.  What habits have you learned?  Email me or share below.

on my mind monday 01.21.13

It's never the same two weeks in a row.  A collection of what I find interesting in the world of food, nutrition, and holistic health.  Here's what's on my mind.

Eating a fatty diet may reduce sperm count - the study mentioned in this article does not show a definitive correlation, but a probable one.  However, of more interest to me is the fact that saturated fats are, once again, being vilified.  Saturated fat in excess is indeed not a healthy choice.  However, it is required for, among other things, hormone production, so curbing saturated fat intake to excess is also not healthy.  Of only minor mention in the article but, I believe, more significance, is the impact that obesity has on sperm health.  Male obesity has risen dramatically over the past three decades and has been accompanied by an increase in male infertility.  This is an issue that needs to be more directly addressed for those who wish to have children.

Artificial colors in medications can trigger hyperactivity - When I work with clients I encourage them to remove artificial colors from their diets.  These petrochemical-based substances do not belong in our diet or our bodies.  There are many studies which support this.  One major challenge, however, is that while you can choose foods, toothpaste, and personal care products which do not have color in them, you cannot control medications as easily.  And any artificial color that goes into the body can have an effect.  As I wrote about over a year ago in this article on color-free supplements, it is healthier to have color-free choices.  My hope is that eventually manufacturers will either choose plant-based color options, offer color-free options, or find a different way to identify medications that does not rely on petrochemicals.

Vitamin K the supplement of 2013? - I get really upset when the news claims a particular food, superfood, or supplement is the "it" item of the year.  Unfortunately in this country we have a habit of thinking that if a little bit is good a lot must be better.  Witness what happened with soy...it was noted that Asians, who eat more soy, have less incidence of certain illnesses.  So Americans added soy to their diet in huge measure.  Soy milk, soy cheese, soy meat, soy ice cream, the list goes on.  The problem is that we eat more unfermented soy than the Asians do, we eat genetically modified soy, and we're not responsible about how we add this highly phyto-estrogenic, goitrogenic substance to our diet. Adding vitamin K through food is not a bad thing, it can help to ensure that we have enough in our diet.  Found in dark leafy greens it's a good thing to add to the diet.  But to start supplementing without knowing whether you need it or not is not a good choice  While it is not known to be toxic, consuming too much has been reported to cause tingling or numbness in the hands and feet.  So by all means add dark leafy greens to your diet.  However if you are considering supplementing because it's the big thing of the year, consider testing your micronutrient status first to see if you really need it.

India's Packaged Food To Have GM Label - I'm so happy to see labeling of GMOs.  I hope that it will grow beyond just packaged foods and eventually include fresh foods as well as meat, dairy, and eggs.  After all, if the animals are fed GMOs the products we get from them are also GMO.

This video about food waste from the BBC



highlights just how much food is wasted in developed countries.  Some of it is due to confusion about labeling but some is due to carelessness.  Given the high number of people who don't have enough to eat in these countries, let alone the rest of the world, this is a major issue.  If we continue to think there's not enough food we continue to pave the way for GMO foods which, as is becoming increasingly clear, does not provide an appropriate answer.

Like these on my mind monday posts?

"Like" me on Facebook too for more information

and news you can use.

photo: mconnors

on my mind monday 11.5.12

It's never the same two weeks in a row.  A collection of what I find interesting in the world of food, nutrition, and holistic health.  Here's what's on my mind.

Jump rope for health - With the colder weather coming it may not be as comfortable to exercise outdoors.  If you've got a good clear space in your home consider trying jumping rope.  I'm impressed by how much exercise you get in just a short period of time (believe me, it's a workout).  This video showed me a couple of new steps which was pretty cool.

Cows making human milk - this is one of the most disturbing GMO developments I think I've seen yet.  Cows that have been genetically engineered to produce human milk.  If you can't drink cow's milk, don't drink it.  Let's not try to cash in on the dairy industry by making cows give human milk.  One of the disturbing things is that the baby cow who has been created from this experiment has no tail.  Scientists are claiming that this is unrelated to their genetic manipulation but I'm not convinced.  I fervently hope that this experiment is shut down.

New Season's CEO leaving to create a chain of healthy convenience stores - this is an idea that has been needed for a long time.  Huge numbers of people are looking for this sort of option, especially when they are on the go with errands or if they are traveling.  The biggest issue, as I see it, will be getting all those people who say they want this to actually utilize it once it happens.  I'm excited about this idea and hope it grows.

Chipotle signs fair food agreement - Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the environmentally-friendly-chemically-clean-non-gmo-organic food issues that we forget to think about the human cost, the ethical side of food.  Some of this was highlighted in the book Tomatoland by Barry Estabrook, but mostly, as consumers, we never see this side of our food.  This agreement is only a small part of what is needed, but it is a step in the right direction.

Unreal Candy - I'm not a big candy person, although I admit to liking some as a treat now and then.  Most candy is loaded with garbage (artificial colors, preservatives, GMOs, etc) which goes a long way toward keeping me away from it.  Now it appears there's a company that's created a candy bar which is a little bit better for you in that it has no garbage ingredients.  They do use agave nectar which, admittedly, I'm not a fan of, but overall their ingredient list is pretty amazing.  If you plan to try it keep in mind it's still sugar and still something that needs to be a treat, eaten in moderation.

As long-time readers know, I am a huge proponent of finding ways to cut down on food waste.  This video is a reminder about just how much we throw out in this country with a lot of thoughtful commentary on how we can reduce our food waste.

on my mind monday 7.09.12

news | photo: mconnors

It's never the same two weeks in a row.  A collection of what I find interesting in the world of food, nutrition and holistic health.  Here's what's on my mind.

How can a big gulp look so small? - Mayor Bloomberg's soda ban has raised all kinds of backlash across the system.  The biggest misconception put forth is that we "know" how much we are consuming.  Manufacturers keep trotting forth this phrase each time they feel threatened to limited by any type of legislation that may impact their ability to peddle their product.  Frequently it's the least healthy manufacturers who complain the loudest.  So now another study has been done that once again proves that our brains don't do geometry very well.  We are not accurately able to gauge how much we are consuming, instead cueing off the size of the container.  This study, to my mind, confirms a study previously done with bottomless bowls of soup.  We do indeed eat with our eyes, frequently over-eating because we rely on visual cues.

Our Daily Bread - a slightly modified take of the work they've published in their book Hungry Planet: What The World Eats, Peter Menzel and Faith D'Alusio have an exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston.  It shows a wide variety of people with the food that they plan to eat for that day.  The variety and circumstances are startling.  It gives one definitely pause for thought.  I hope the exhibit is very successful and even more that it will travel around the country, perhaps making it's way to a museum in Houston so that I can go see it.

Food Companies Concerned About Sustainability - As more consumers become more educated, more companies are beginning to listen.  Realizing that they need to be aware of and involved in this issue as well if they want to sell their products.  As always I propose we start with whole foods, but I do believe that sustainable practices across all parts of the food spectrum are important.

Nutrition Education on Wheels - This looks like an interesting concept.  Using a food truck and providing recipe cards and cooking demonstrations people are getting some ideas for how to use the food they get to make healthy, nutritious meals.  This is an idea that I think could be expanded greatly all across the country.  It seems to me that it would not only help people to eat healthier, but also to help avoid food waste as people often don't use what they don't know how to use and it sits until it becomes inedible.  I hope to see more food trucks like this.

EU Organic Label Now Mandatory - Well this just proves that it can be done.  It can't come to our shores fast enough in my opinion.  I even like the symbol they chose.

I use a LOT of onions in my house.  I've tried to grow there but here in my hot, piney woods garden they have not done well.  Out of two onion sets I got one reasonable size onion, yes, one onion.  The others all seemed to melt and disappear into the garden.  I'm still not sure how that happens but I've decided that, for now, growing onions is not for me. I continue to use them as they are flavorful and a great, healthy way to punch up your recipes but, for now, I'm still buying instead of growing them.  As a good source of vitamin C onions also provide a lot of phytonutrients.  They are considered to be beneficial for heart health and are also anti-inflammatory.  Using them can be a challenge however as chopping a spherical object into nice tidy dices or even slices isn't always easy.  Learning the proper way to chop onions is a handy skill.  Here's a great video demonstrating how to do it.

 


disclaimer: cmp.ly/5

on my mind monday 7.02.12

news | photo:  mconnors

It's never the same two weeks in a row.  A collection of what I find interesting in the world of food, nutrition, health and holistic living.  Read what's on my mind.

Tending the Body's Microbial Garden - It seems that mainstream science is beginning to realize that wholesale, repeated slaughter of our intestinal flora may not be such a good thing. Holistic practitioners have been saying for decades that supporting the gut is key to supporting health. Starting with a baby's first inoculation via the birth process to our exposures we build a hopefully healthy intestinal eco-system.  When we take antibiotics and wipe out both good and bad bacteria there are negative health effects that accumulate from this overarching destruction.   I'm glad to see that mainstream science is beginning to recognize the benefits of a healthy digestive system.  If you want to learn more consider reading Liz Lipski's amazing book, Digestive Wellness.

Meat Without Drugs - For those Omnivore and Flexitarian eaters out there this is a huge deal.  The FDA has known for decades that the producers in the meat industry over-use antibiotics in order to keep their animals healthy in spite of overcrowding and filthy conditions.  The problem is that those antibiotics are still present in the meat when you eat it, leading to a regular low level exposure.  Over 70% of all antibiotic use in this country is in animal feed.  That's an astounding number.  It appears that this situation may also be one of the leading causes behind antibiotic resistant bacteria.  We are essentially inoculating our bodies over and over again.  You can avoid eating meat with antibiotics in it by purchasing organic, purchasing meat labeled "raised without antibiotics", or purchasing directly from a farmer that you trust.  And support this campaign, sign the pledge.




More than honeybees - It turns out the dangers from our damage to the environment are affecting more than just honeybees.  One big takeaway from this article is how the loss of meadows and wildflower habitats is affecting the bee population.  They need to have a wide mixture of plants available for foraging.  All the spaces that we consider weedy and remove or cover over or control by mono-cropping are exactly the spaces needed by the bees.  And we need them to pollinate our food.  It is, after all, an eco-system and one which we need to respect.

Olive Oil and Slippery Politics - sadly it's not just in this country that politics and corporate aims challenge the issues of sustainability and environmental responsibility.  Unfortunately this compounds the situation already clouded by adulteration of olive oil.  To my mind the solution is simple and straightforward.  Stop adulterating the product, support small farmers, accept that this is a regional product that does best when produced sustainably.  However the EU's solution is to create an overwhelmingly tragic repeat of what has happened to the dairy industry in this country by paying farmers to stock a reserve which will at some point no longer be acceptable for consumption.  It's difficult as consumers to know what makes a good choice for olive oil, to know who is not adulterating and who is not being squeezed out (sorry) by corporate interests.  I know of a few producers that I believe sell a clean, quality product if you are interested in purchasing your olive oil for quality and purity.  Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard in Elmendorf, TX, Texas Hill Country Olive Company in Dripping Springs, TX, and the Chaffin Family Orchards in Oroville, CA.  High quality olive oil costs more, but you can tell by the flavor that you are getting an amazing product.

Farm to Dumpster - So much of our food is wasted.  In a world where there is growing disparity between the food haves and the food have-nots this is a deep shame.  In a world where food costs are rising this is sad.  In a world where the environment is stressed and global warming is a reality, this is just wrong.  We need to do better.  We need to be more mindful about our food and how we use it.  Learn more and make changes....start with Jonathan Bloom's excellent book, American Wasteland.


What I'm Reading:

Cooking for Isaiah by Silvana Mardone - This book was on a friend's cookbook shelf and she pulled it down to share a recipe that she particularly liked with me.  Flipping through the pages it looked amazing and, more than that, delicious.  I am one of those people who truly does READ a cookbook.  Reading through the pages of this one is a journey through foods that signify comfort and love.  But they come without gluten and dairy, a huge issue for many people.  I was so inspired by this book that before I was done reading it I ran to the grocery store to buy the gluten free flours to make Sivlana's mix.  The one issue with her mix is the use of Xanthan Gum which is a binding agent.  Some people can be very sensitive to it and suffer from flatulence or bloating when eating it.  I haven't experimented enough with the mix and the recipes to know if it's okay to leave it out but I must say the recipes I've tried so far have all been amazing.

Contact me to learn how you can $ave on high quality supplements


disclaimer:  cmp.ly/5

on my mind monday 4.30.12

news | photo: mconnors

It's never the same two weeks in a row.  A collection of what I find interesting in health, nutrition, and holistic living.  Read what's on my mind.

Beef Cattle Become Behemoths - Antibiotics are not the only dangerous thing being fed to our livestock (dangerous because the overuse has negative physical effects for us such as helping to breed disease resistant bacteria).  Many conventional farms also feed animals hormones and other drugs to make them grow faster, grow fatter, and push their development all in the name of profit.  Many countries around the world, such as those in the European Union, do not allow this because of concerns about it's effect on the people that eat the meat from treated animals.  When that animal is slaughtered all the hormones and drugs do not go away, they stay in the meat and the fat.  If you eat it you then are consuming those products as well.  Building " bovine Schwartzeneggers" is not in the best interest of anyone other than the company that sells these drugs.  Now it looks like in addition to co-opting medical schools with research dollars and propaganda, pharmaceutical companies are, and have been, doing the same with agricultural schools.  Don't get me wrong, there are many good pharmaceutical formulations and they can have great benefit.  I just don't believe that this type of drug oversale is an appropriate usage, nor do I believe it is healthy for the animal or for those that consume it.

Watermelon's Wild Cousins - A watermelon that grows in the desert?  And provides reasonable nutrition?  Who knew such a thing existed.  This article highlights the Tsamma melon which grows, amazingly enough, in the Kalahari in South Africa.  The description of use and nutrition in this family of melons highlights why we need agricultural diversity and not genetically modified commercially motivated mono-cropping.  This idea is further highlighted by a recent article I spotted about Vietnamese farmers changing melon crops due to drought conditions.  My take from reading the article is that they were choosing a different type of melon rather than a GMO melon; an agriculturally and environmentally positive choice.

Calm.com - A wonderful guided meditation site with fabulous audio/video presentations.  Two minutes that can lower your blood pressure, re-center you, and help you to feel better.


Feeding a city is something that we don't often think about. But as we move to cities our diet changes, demand for meat and dairy goes up. And there's food waste and food imbalance (larger and larger number of starving people as well as those that are overfed). This video highlights how food moves into a city and looks at ways to help solve some of the problems that cities face when it comes to their food.

Four Foods You Probably Waste - I bring this topic up a lot.  Food is more than just access to good, clean, nourishing products.  It's also about proper utilization of what we have.  That means not wasting it.  Even though rotting food can be thrown into a compost heap to be turned into beneficial compost, isn't it best to eat it?  After all, you paid for it.  Here's a few simple and delicious looking recipes to help you avoid throwing out some of the most commonly wasted foods.

What I'm Reading

Make The Bread, Buy The Butter - I picked up the copy at my local library.  By the top of the second page I was hooked.  I like her writing style, we think the same way, and I have already bookmarked several recipes to try.  I was most impressed with her bread which uses 3 1/2 cups of whey.  That's awesome.  I have lots of whey hanging around from straining yogurt; although I use it, I confess sometimes it gets fed to the dogs because I have too much.  I am occasionally tempted to make ricotta cheese from leftover whey.  The trick is you need 16 quarts of the stuff and if I tried to squeeze 16 quarts into my side-by-side refrigerator I'm pretty sure my family would be upset due to the lack of space for food.  And that 16 quarts of whey?  It yields less than 2 cups of ricotta.  I haven't gotten to that part of the book but I'm guessing she recommends buying it.  This bread however looks to be a great use for leftover whey.  And I'm planning a tea party just so I can make my own clotted cream.  I'm also looking forward to reading the rest of the book which is definitely on my "to buy" list.

disclaimer - cmp.ly/5