WITH CHRISTMAS and New Year festivities just over, food waste becomes an issue that needs to be addressed.
It's a fact that most households prepare more food than they need, especially during the festive season, leading to tremendous amounts of food waste.
In Malaysia alone, the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation recently reported that 17,000 tonnes of food waste is produced on a daily basis, equivalent to seven Olympic-sized swimming pools.
There are many ways in which we can all make a difference by reducing food waste and eating healthily at the same time. Here are some suggestions:
Plan ahead
Whether you're prepping nutritious meals for the week or planning the menu for your next festive gathering, planning ahead is a great way to ensure you're preparing only what you can consume and not serving your guests more than they can eat.
Consider cooking with more sustainable ingredients
People are leaning towards more plant-based diets for a variety of reasons, including health concerns, weight loss or concerns about the environment.
For those who are just starting to experiment, it might be best to adopt a "flexitarian" diet or menu, which is a primarily plant-based diet with the occasional inclusion of meat, poultry, fish or eggs.
It's a great way to maintain a healthy, balanced diet while helping to protect the environment by cutting down on energy and resources used to produce red meat.
Plate up in the kitchen instead of at the table.
Consider portioning out your meal in the kitchen. Serving food family-style makes it easy for everyone to help themselves but it's not such a good idea if you're trying to control portions.
With serving dishes on the table, it's just too easy to have "just another spoonful", which also leads to overeating.
One of the biggest sources of food waste comes from food left on the plate, which often ends up in the trash.
Repurpose foods that are reaching expiration.
There are many ways to get the most out of your perishable food items, even when they start to look a little sad. When your tomatoes get too mushy to cut up for salads, consider making them into homemade tomato sauce.
Are your bananas getting brown and squishy? Give them more life by unpeeling them, and keep them in the freezer as a healthy smoothie ingredient.
Soups and stews are also great dishes that can incorporate many different ingredients, such as veggies that might be a little past their prime.
Donate extras to those in need.
Clearing out your pantry? Consider donating extra shelf-stable food items to local food banks and charities.
*The writer is senior director, worldwide nutrition education and training, Herbalife Nutrition.
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