The District Council often produce wise counsel and here is one of their press releases to do with wise food usage, which is not only wisdom about health, but also contributes to a wise use of our planet.

 

Wise Eating

Eat well, waste less and save more!

(14 May 2014)

 

In the UK we throw away 13 billion “five a day” portions from our homes every year and £111 million worth of rice and pasta.

 

Part of keeping fit and well is to eat a balanced and healthy diet. However even after bringing all our shopping home, we end up throwing away the very foods we should be eating the most of – fruit, veg and wholegrain carbs.

 

Eating healthily doesn’t have to be expensive.  In fact, the average family could save up to £60 a month by only buying what we need and using what we buy, www.lovefoodhatewaste.com has some top tips to help us waste less, save money and feel great:

 

Healthy planning

 

Writing a shopping list and planning ahead will give you a chance to choose meals where you can incorporate those healthy foods that otherwise might be forgotten.

 

Savvy storage

 

Whilst many of us like having a large fruit bowl on display, the fridge, rather than the fruit bowl, is the ideal place to store most of your fruit where it lasts up to two weeks longer (except bananas and pineapples which should be kept cool but not refrigerated.) Veg also lasts longer in the fridge (except for potatoes and onions which should be kept in a cool dark place).  

 

Protective packaging

 

Carrots, peppers and salads are best kept in the bag that they come in.  It’s always worth checking the packaging for useful information on how to keep the food at its best.

 

Portion Caution

 

It’s easy to make the mistake of cooking too much rice and pasta. As a rule half a mug of uncooked rice is enough for two adults, and 100g is about the right amount of pasta for one.

 

Rescue Me

 

If some of the foods that you have bought are starting to look a little tired, check out the recipes on the above  lovefoodhatewaste.com to help use them up in a flash or revive food with these top tips:

 

Potatoes – if they are going a bit green and sprouty, give them a good peel, cook, mash and freeze for later.

 

Onions and peppers – can be chopped and frozen making them ready to use at a later date.

 

Carrots and other root veg, beans and cauliflower florets can be blanched (cooked in boiling water for 1-2 minutes and then cooled quickly under running water) before freezing.

 

Green leafy veg and salads can be refreshed by popping them into a bowl of cold water with added ice cubes for 30 minutes.

If you don’t manage to rescue your food in time, then all is not lost! Uneaten food, fruit and veg peelings and plate scrapings can all be recycled in your kerbside compostables bin collection from where it is turned into fertiliser.

 

For more info on what you can place in your compostables bin visit www.rochford.gov.uk/recycling