Opting to eat healthier is likely to mean that you will be changing the foods that you eat and cook. Sounds straightforward enough, but this change also impacts on how often you will need to purchase foods, the quantities that need to be purchased and what your grocery bill will be at the end of the week.

Eating better also means that you’ll be eating less processed and packaged foods that tend to last longer than more organic and fresh produce. So with this in mind I thought it’d be fitting to do a quick post on how to minimise food wastage and save money at the same time- making your transition into a healthier lifestyle much smoother and easier to manage. You’ll feel good too knowing that you’re taking a holistic approach into better lifestyle habits that will improve your overall living and well being.

The facts:

• Australians discard up to 20% of the food they purchase which equates to 1 out of every 5 bags of groceries bought

• Up to 40% of the average household garbage bin is food

• Aussies throw out $8 billion of edible food every year

What is food waste exactly?

Just so that we’re on the same page, food wastage is any food that we intend to eat yet throw away instead; food that goes into the bin, compost or is fed to pets. This is considered ‘avoidable’ waste. Wastage occurs because we often buy more food than what we think we need leading to the food expiring before we use it. We also tend to cook more food than we need and forget that we have leftovers in the fridge or are unsure on how we can utilise those leftovers for our next meal.

Just a few reasons why food wastage occurs:

• We buy too much because we don’t stick to a shopping list

• We often shop when we’re hungry so we buy more food than we need

• We are not taking the time to properly plan our meals and menus

• Takeaways are bought at the last minute instead of cooking the food we have

Tips and tricks to avoid food wastage:

1. Do an inventory check before you go grocery shopping

Although this may seem like a no-brainer, before a grocery shop many of us end up leaving the house only knowing the few items we actually really want/ need whilst only having a vague idea on the other items we may need, unfortunately leaving this decision for once we arrive at the supermarket. We get it, it’s hard enough to squeeze a shop into our busy schedules let alone take the time to clean out our kitchen but regardless, taking the time to do this is well worth it. You’ll realise that you already have many of the items that you thought you needed and you’ll also be able to plan your shop to ensure that you purchase new items that compliment your existing ones so that they don’t go to waste.

2. Check expiration dates at the supermarket to ensure you buy the freshest items

Often identical products at the supermarket will have different expiration dates to indicate their freshness. And because all supermarkets use the First-In-First-Out (FIFO) principle, it’s likely that the freshest bottle of milk with the longest expiry left will be hidden way towards the back of the shelf behind all the other bottles that the supermarket would rather be sold first. The same goes for fruits and vegetables- reach for the product that is at the very bottom and inspect each piece carefully for any bruises.

3. Learn how to store different foods properly

When it comes to storage, you can do more than just cling wrap your food or pop it into an airtight container before deciding whether it needs to be frozen, refrigerated or stored in a cupboard. There are individual tips and tricks that you can apply to virtually any food. For instance, refrigerated apples will keep longer than those left at room temperature and you should avoid storing lettuce with melons, apples, pears, or other ethylene gas-emitting fruits as they will cause your lettuce to brown. Avocadoes keep longer if your brush them with lemon juice and your dairy will benefit by being put at the back of the fridge rather than in the door- just to name a few simple examples. For a full list of how best to keep each food type fresh, visit the Love Food Hate Waste website.

4. Keep tabs on your food post purchase

Be sure to put all perishables in plain view where you can be reminded that they are there. Also try to take about 10 minutes each week to go through your fridge to see what’s in there so that you can plan your next few meals around the foods that are close to expiring.

These tips are a no brainer yet there must be some room for improvement if we consider that statistics show that if you add up the amount of food waste in Australia each year, there would be enough to fill 450,000 garbage trucks which, if placed end to end, would make a convoy large enough to bridge the gap between Australia and New Zealand just over three times. Crazy huh?

Although most health specialists, nutritionists and weight loss consultants will tell you that a low-fat diet is key, what we don’t realise is that often, this principle can be quite misleading. This is because not all fats are unhealthy for you. In fact, there are good (unsaturated) fats and bad (saturated) fats and as harmful as consuming those foods that are considered to be ‘bad fats’ can be for you, our bodies would be physically unable to function properly without the ‘good fats’ either.

We are often so concerned with the amount of fats we are consuming that we forget that equally important, is the type of fats that we consume too. Whilst ‘bad fats’ increase your risk of disease and heighten your cholesterol level, ‘good fats’ do the exact opposite and actually help to limit the chance of these conditions occurring. They also deliver many of our bodies much needed vitamins and are a good source of fuel. Fat as a single nutrient alone isn’t going to necessarily cause us to gain weight either. This is because simply put,  weight gain is caused by eating an excessive amount of calories compared to what you burn- naturally, these calories come from all kinds of foods which include but are not limited to saturated and unsaturated fats.

The problem is though, it’s not always easy understanding these principles and navigating yourself around which fats are good for you, which ones are bad and how much you should be eating (unless of course you have some external help).

To put it as simply as possible though, be sure to steer clear of foods that contain ‘bad fats’ altogether and try to eat a balanced amount of ‘good fats’. A breakdown of which foods contain which fats can be found below.

‘Bad fats’ are typically found in:

• Snack foods. i.e. chips, biscuits and crackers

• Processed and packaged foods

• Salad dressings, butters and margarine

• Fried and crumbed foods

• Pastries that are commercially baked such as doughnuts, muffins, cakes and pizza dough

‘Good fats’ are found in:

• Vegetable oils such as canola, olive, and peanut oil

• Nuts and seeds

• Avocado

• Dark leafy greens

• Various types of fish

Of course if you are currently on one of our programs, your food selection list will tell you exactly what foods you should be eating in what amounts, however we hope this helped to clear up some misconceptions!

If you haven’t already noticed, the words “clean eating”, “organic” and “super foods” have been circulating the bloggersphere, your daily Instagram feed, and on the lips and hips of every person walking out of a Thomas Dux store. Sure, call it a trend that may fade in and out just like tides, but this craze seems to be catching on.

As a “fad” that has many people hurdling for the bandwagon, here is something else to throw into the mixture of healthy madness… While your whipping up your low-carb, sugar-free, organic feast in a bid to be kind to your body, take note of the pots, pans and plates you are prepping your meals with. Most of the utensils and accessories you use in your daily cooking routine are in fact laced with chemicals that are both harmful to you and the environment.

This doesn’t mean you should start ripping apart your cookware cupboard, but there are a few things to be mindful of when you purchase your next culinary items. Many companies (and not just the inexpensive ones) that produce kitchenware goods contain PFOA in their products.

What is PFOA, you ask?

Perfluorooctanoic acid is a fluorinated chemical (LCPFC) that does not occur naturally in the environment. This chemical is used to bond the non-stick coating to a pan.

Cooking in extreme temperatures where food can be burnt is when the non-stick coating will begin to breakdown and release toxic fumes.

Exposure to this sneaky compound has been associated with increased cholesterol, uric acid levels and other nasty side effects. Not just that, laboratory animals exposed to high doses of PFOA has shown to cause cancer, low birth weight and suppressed immune systems.

Well, what should I use then?

There are many “natural” compounds and alternative cookware items that are becoming available on the market. Paving the way is Valira – a Spanish brand that have introduced a range of induction products that all feature three layers of PFOA free coating.

The Revolution series by Revol is another range that is proudly 100% food friendly and recyclable; meaning they contain no toxic chemicals that are a danger to you or the environment. Not only are these gastronomic wonders safe to cook with, they also offer a playful and unique collection of casseroles and tajines.

Innovative and stylish, the Revol Basalt collection presents a contemporary health and environmentally safe option of serveware. That’s right; people are making safe serveware, too! Being a porcelain range inspired by natural slate, Basalt is making an appearance in both commercial and household kitchens around the globe.

Did you say harm-free and fat-free?

Well, almost! As well as being a natural option, these brands also have non-stick, non-porous surfaces and construction. This means bacteria and flavours aren’t absorbed and the best part – fats and oils are kept to a minimum when cooking. Thus resulting in a healthy, low-fat, gastronomic experience!