Wasting Food

According to the Discovery Channel, in 2004, "At home, the average American family throws away 14 percent of their food... In terms of money, that's almost $600 every year in meats, fruit, vegetables and grain products."  This is after we consume enough calories to have about 74% of our population overweight with over 25% obese according to Wikipedia.

My mom taught me not to waste food.  I remember how upset she was whenever something went bad in the fridge or if any bread went moldy, and now I'm the same way.  However, it doesn't happen very often, so I don't spend much time getting upset.  I'm really grateful that my mom taught me to care about things, though.

I think we all need to care about food because this amount of food waste is draining our wallets, our environment, our landfill space, and it's downright upsetting when so many people in our own country (let alone around the world) are going hungry.  It is wonderful that so many of us have plenty, but I hope that we can appreciate it and be grateful for it without feeling entitlement to do whatever is most convenient for us regarding food.

If you are on board and you want to stop throwing away so much food, here are some ideas that might help.

1)  Make up your mind to minimize food waste and know why it is important to you.  It will be easier to change if you change your mentality first.  You will start being able to use your creativity to solve problems if you are sufficiently motivated to do so.

2)  Menu plan, menu plan, menu plan!!!  Before you go grocery shopping, make a plan for what you will be eating until you go shopping next.  Plan to buy the right amount of food for you and your family.  If there is a sale, feel free to take advantage of it but only if you have a plan to use the food!  Don't just buy things (like fruits and vegetables) because you "should",  instead buy them because you are actually going to eat them.

3) Get your fridge and cabinets organized and regularly take inventory.  If needed, make notes on a white board or sheet of paper on the fridge of things that need to be eaten soon.  Learn to appreciate leftovers.  After all, they are rather convenient!

4)  If you aren't going to be able to finish something in the fridge on time, use your freezer!  It will stay good for a long time there.  Many things can be frozen.  If you aren't sure if what you have can be, look it up online.  Use your frozen food as snacks, or make plans to eat it at a later date.  Don't just let it sit there forever.

5)  Only serve yourself what you plan to eat.  Only serve your children what they can eat.   You can always get seconds!  I think that it is important to teach this to our children because it teaches them portion control  while also teaching the value of not wasting food.  It is OK to tear apart a tortilla to serve your child part of a burrito instead of giving a 4-year-old the whole thing.  If for some reason somebody can't finish what's on his or her plate, instead of throwing it away, stick it in a container for the individual to eat later.

6)  If you eat out, take home the leftovers instead of leaving them on the plate.  I worked in a restaurant as a busser one summer, and I was appalled by how much food I had to scrape into the garbage can.  If you do eat out and tend to have leftovers, I encourage you to bring your own containers to the restaurant.  I stick mine in a bag, and when we're done, I bring them out.  This way you avoid throwing away take-out containers.  It also makes the busy servers and bussers have one less thing to fetch for you.

7)  Eat well, make plans for meals, and enjoy your food.  If you find you are spending less due to wasting less, consider using the money to support local organic farmers and/or to help feed the hungry in your area.  These are wonderful things to teach kids about through example, too!