6 ways to use your left-over food sustainably
By Pulkit Goyal
This post was originally published on July 30, 2019.
Ever wonder what to do when our stomachs are full but there’s leftover food sit in the bowls? Do we keep it in the fridge or do we throw it out? For all kinds of reasons, environmental, social and financial, we think it makes sense to explore options other than throwing the food we purchase.
Using leftovers for later
This one is pretty obvious as most of us can refrigerate leftovers from a meal and enjoy it later. Even while you’re eating at a restaurant you can get the leftovers packed and take them home. All restaurants provide you with that service and almost all food items can be consumed if stored at the right temperature.
Preserve food
Preservation methods like fermenting, pickling, canning, help in preventing extra food go to waste as it lasts a bit longer, some of these techniques are being used for hundreds of years. Making chutneys and pickles with leftover vegetables or jams with excess fruit pieces adds a bit of flavour to the food you cook.
Manage food storage
When you buy food items it’s important to store it them in proper conditions to prevent them from spoilage. Maintain proper storage temperatures (cold and dry), clean the refrigerator and defrost regularly, use antifungal sprays, and move the older products in the front so that they can fulfil their natural purpose to be consumed before they’re expired or get ruined. Glass storage containers are reusable and sustainable, and you can also see what’s inside. That way, you’re less likely to lose track of leftovers.
Donate
There are millions of people across the world who do not have reliable access to even one healthy or hearty meal a day. What might be a waste for you is an entire meal for someone else. In order to donate food from events you attend, you can connect with Feeding India here. Similarly, you could donate to community fridges like Feeding India’s community fridge program, the Happy Fridge. Read more here in case you want to set up a community fridge in your residential or commercial complex.
Food for beauty
Use leftover fruits and vegetables as face packs by blending them. Fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants and Vitamin C, which are helpful in protecting the skin from pollution, dirt and antibodies. They provide a natural alternative to chemically packed face packs. Potato and lemon have natural bleaching properties, whereas tomato and papaya are known for their anti-inflammatory properties ensuring healthy and beautiful skin.
Shop smarter
We can all get carried away while in a grocery store, especially during heavy sales and end up buying a lot of stuff we don’t require. A lot of the items that we buy in bulk don’t even see the light of day once we put them in our drawers, and are often discarded at expiration. As a rule of thumb make a list of the essentials you need and try to stick to the list as much as possible while you shop. Audit your stocks on the weekends and consume or donate things coming near their expiry date.
Not only will you be able to make the most of the money you are spending on buy these consumables, you can share this food with those in need, and will also be save further environmental damage caused by landfills and carbon emissions as a result of them.
