The way we cook and how we cook play a very important role. It affects not only our health but the entire planet. Sustainable cooking is all about our food choices and how they affect local sustainability, health, and of course the environment. Some studies have suggested that over 7.4 million tonnes of food go to landfills yearly. Shocking right?
Thus, it becomes very important for us to switch to sustainable cooking. These are some changes that we can make while taking a step towards sustainable cooking. These changes are small but will have a larger impact. Let us have a look.
Grow Herbs At Home
It always happens that we use one portion of any herb and leave the rest of it to get spoilt in the fridge. This happens at every house. We can have a solution for this. If we grow herbs at home, we can curb this wastage. Moreover, they don’t require too much space and are easy to grow.
Use all parts of fruits and veggies
One of the effective ways to reduce food wastage is using all components of fruits and vegetables. Some known studies have suggested that 33 percent of food waste at home actually comprises vegetable peels. Why not make the best use of it? First of all, all vegetables don’t need to be peeled. For example, instead of peeling potatoes, you can just scrub them well and use them with skin. Carrots and radish too don’t need to be peeled. While for those fruits and vegetables, that have to be peeled, you can use these vegetable peels in different ways. For example, you can use many of them for making fritters.
Reusing Leftovers
It happens many times that we don’t know what to do with the leftovers and throw them away. Be it pizza corners or even chapatis, we do throw these leftovers as we don’t know what to do with them. If we are turning towards sustainable cooking, it is important that we get rid of this habit. Either we should eat all the food or we should reuse these leftovers. From leftover bread to leftover chapatis, we can make so many dishes. You can even make famous dal dhokli with chapatis. Click here for the recipe.
Don’t buy extra
A well-stocked fridge may look good but it would eventually lead to veggies and other stuff rotting. Most of us just don’t realize how much food we waste on an everyday basis. What we can do to make this up is to make a weekly list of meals and do shopping accordingly. Believe me, this would be the easiest way to ensure less food wastage.
Eating seasonal items
This is a doctor-suggested tip and there are many reasons behind it. Fruits and vegetables that are grown locally are best for health. It is because when nature is providing us with certain produce at a given time, it means our body needs nutrition at that particular time. Moreover, the food has not been in any cold storage and thus is healthier and well nourished. It is also beneficial for the environment.
Try making these little changes in your lifestyle and switch to sustainable cooking. Let us know what worked for you!