There is always a sense of guilt to throw food away. However, there are ways where we can reduce food wastage as much as possible. Following are some smart strategies that will help you eat better as well as well as save money.

Keep items in plain sight

Many a time, leftovers are kept in the fridge which gets pushed back and one forgets about it all together only to find it later and dump in the garbage. To avoid this, keep perishable items such as dairy products or soft fruits in the front section of the fridge. Frequently check the expiry date of items in the refrigerator. If you feel you might not use items that are nearing expiry date in time, then donate them to a local food pantry.

Food can be substituted

If you don’t have a particular ingredient while cooking, it can be simply substituted with a proper alternative. For example, spinach can be substituted with Kale lying in the fridge. Pear can also be used in place of apples, paneer in place of cheese, yam in place of potatoes and so on.

Freeze the liquids

If there is leftover broth or stock, pour it into an ice tray and freeze. Transfer the solid cubes into a zip pouch and keep in the freezer. While preparing sauce or curries, these cubes can be added for extra flavour and nutrition.

Make frequent trips to the grocery store

Instead of buying foodstuff in large quantities, you can make frequent trips to the supermarket and purchase smaller quantities and thus avoid food from getting spoiled and wasted. If frequent trips to the store sound cumbersome, then you can order online too.

Transform leftovers into lip-smacking dishes

Let your creativity flow and use the leftovers to make a good snack or side dish. Toss leftover rice and pasta into soups. Leftover veggies can be used to make delicious sandwiches or savored as pizza toppings. It can also be kneaded with flour to make appetizing parathas.

Take small servings

Serving less food on your plate ensures that less goes into the garbage if you are full. Sticking to smaller portions is a golden rule which not only helps to reduce food wastage but also is a win for your waistline too.

Then there are other clever hacks like sealing the stems of bananas with plastic wraps so that they remain fresh longer. If they turn overripe, they can be used to make cakes or smoothies. Overripe fruits can be used to make a DIY beauty mask. Grind the fruits, add honey or curd to it, apply and let it sit for 15 minutes and rinse.

Following the above tips will help to stop food wastage to a great extent.