As 2012 comes upon us many people will be making resolutions to make themselves fitter & healthier, especially after a Christmas binge.
The good news is that a healthier diet can also help to reduce food waste. The basic principles are the same for both targets.
1. Portion control. By measuring the size of your meals properly you can avoid over catering and the problem of what to do with the excess. Here is a useful tool for planning your portion size. Perfect portions.
2. Plan Your Meals. Rather than fill your fridge with random items, some of which will go off before they are eaten, plan your meals for the next few days. This also gives you a chance to make sure that your diet is well balanced.
3. Stick to your shopping list. As well as avoiding all the sweets and cakes think twice about all the other extras that you may be tempted to put in your basket, especially if it has a short shelf life. A bargain isn’t a bargain if it ends up in the bin!
4. Eat more fruit and vegetables. By eating your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day you will be turning over your veg store, salad tray and fruit bowl regularly, before they get a chance to spoil.
5. Don’t Skip Breakfast. A breakfast containing at least 3 food groups, sets your metabolism up for the day. This reduces the craving to binge on high calorie snacks & raid the supermarket on the way home.
6. Drink more water. Water is a natural appetite suppressant, in fact we often feel the urge to eat when actually we are dehydrated. Tap water is virtually free, just as healthy as bottled water, and avoids all the empty calories that come along with so many other beverages.
So, if you have set a goal to eat more healthily in 2012, good luck and as a bit of a boost, remember you will also be cutting down on your food waste.
