Surely many of us have heard of how to save water or electricity at home, but there is something that is not talked about as much and that can also bring us benefits in the domestic economy and that is saving on food. This does not mean eating less, eating worse or depriving ourselves of certain foods, but rather making the most of the food we buy.
In this Green Ecologist article, we will give you a series of tips on how to save food at home.
Why is it important to save on food at home
According to data provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), a third of the food produced on the planet ends as waste in garbage. This translates into around 1,300 million tons of garbage per year and the forecast is that these figures will continue to increase. The European Commission, this waste in Europe reaches 89 tons per year and if we consider each individual citizen, about 179 kilos of garbage.
Therefore, it is a big problem due to production, contamination, the money that each of us lose by poorly managing the purchase and preservation of food, as well as the simple fact that food is being wasted when many people cannot even eat at newspaper.
The objective of these 9 tips to save food, which we will give you next, is not only to reduce the annual waste of food, but also to save money on food or to promote a more efficient and equitable distribution of resources.
Weekly meal planning to avoid wasting it
The planning a weekly menu is an effective way to adapt food purchases to actual consumption In the home. That is, if we more or less know what we are going to cook, we can avoid excessive buying in food and the possibility that those foods are spoiled by not consuming them.
The weekly menu that must be planned must be complete and provide a variety of nutrients, since it does not consist of having an inadequate diet. For example, a complete menu has 5 daily servings of fruit and vegetables, between 2 and 4 weekly servings of legumes and 3 or 4 of meat and fish.
Check the expiration date to save food
Sometimes we don't look at the expiration date when buying a food, with what can be spoiled without us noticing. Regarding this, it is necessary to distinguish the difference that exists between the expiration date, the food begins to spoil from that moment, and preferential consumption, the food loses properties, but does not spoil, from that date.
A food can be consumed after its best before date (although it is advisable to do it before), but not after its expiration date. As a trick, in many supermarkets or stores, they place the products closest to their expiration date on the shelves.
Preparing homemade meals is better than buying them ready-made
Result cheaper and healthier preparing meals at home, before ordering them at home or even buying them pre-cooked. An example that can be made at home is pizza. Homemade pizza has less fat, salt, and preservatives than store-bought pizza. In addition, you can use the ingredients that you like the most and then use them for other meals. A trick to avoid being lazy to prepare them in having frozen pizza bases or buying them in the supermarket.
Make the most of the fruit
In any home it is typical that certain fruits are passed or that they are about to be passed, with which a lot of fruit is wasted. One trick is make a fruit salad or cake with the fruits that are to be passed. In the event that you have bought too much fruit, a tip is that it keeps much better in syrup, compotes or jams. In this way, we will avoid wasting the fruit because too much has been spent.
Put order in the freezer
To freeze, it is advisable freeze food in small portions or in individual pieces, in order to defrost what is necessary according to the number of diners. Besides, it's alright indicate the date of its freezing, so we can avoid keeping them for an excessive time. Another tip, which does not have to do directly with food, is to clean the freezer of ice and frost, as this uses less energy.
Make good use of the fridge to save food
This is one of the most important tips for save on food. Keeping food in order helps extend its shelf life. You also have to control the temperature, which should be between 1ºC and 5ºC and avoid opening the door too much, since in addition to damaging the food, it increases energy consumption.
A good one how to order the fridge or refrigerator it can be the following:
- Place the meat and fish in the coldest areas.
- Cover the meat with aluminum foil or put it in containers with racks to prevent its juices from contacting other foods.
- Keep the fish completely clean.
- If we put the fruit and vegetables in the fridge, remember to open the bags so they breathe.
- Store the cut sausages in closed containers, so that they last longer. Ideally, place them on the center shelf.
Pay attention to the containers
Food is best kept in containers that are properly closed and in those that are fuller, since this way they store less air inside, with which the oxidation of the food is less and, therefore, they are kept longer. An interesting option to preserve food for a long time in perfect condition is a vacuum sealer.
Don't store too much food
You have to try to have a cupboard in which none of the essential ingredients such as flour, salt, sugar, oil, pasta, legumes or preserves are missing. However, many times the offers in supermarkets lead us to buy much more than we need, and in some cases, they can be spoiled by not consuming them on time.
So, you have to take into account do not buy more than is really necessary and not get carried away by the offers if they are not going to really benefit us.
Keeping an eye on the pantry so as not to waste food
It is advisable check the pantry at least once a weekAs it may happen that there is food that has been stored for so long that it spoils.
One idea is to place the foods closest to their expiration date in front and those with the longest shelf life behind them. In this way, foods that are likely to spoil earlier will not be hidden from view and will not be forgotten. In addition, every time we look, we can point out what needs to be bought.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to save on food at home, we recommend that you enter our category of Other ecology.
