6 Ways to Up Your Grocery Game
Making a shift to a more sustainable lifestyle doesn’t have to be difficult. With Earth Day around the corner, now is a great time to start looking for easy ways to build a more sustainable life. Here are six easy swaps and tips to help make your life a little greener and even save you money at the grocery store!
1. Plan a Meal with What You Already Have
Before you go to the grocery store, take a quick look at the inventory in your fridge and pantry. Note the things you already have and maybe have even forgotten, and try to plan a meal around them. There are many websites that can help you find ways to incorporate those random items you bought on impulse or for a recipe you saw online. There’s nothing more sustainable than using up what you already have instead of purchasing something new. Let your creativity run wild and unlock your inner chef.
2. Buy un-packaged Produce
A quick swap you can make right now is trying to limit the amount of produce you buy that comes wrapped in plastic. Many stores, like Trader Joe’s, have already made the switch to mostly plastic-free produce. The plastic used to wrap fruits and vegetables is cheap, unable to be recycled, and inevitably ends up in the landfill. Produce should always be washed before consumption considering it once grew in the ground or on trees or bushes, went through shipping on trucks, and has been touched by store clerks and customers, so there’s really no need to try to keep it “clean” with a plastic produce bag. However, reusable mesh bags are relatively inexpensive if you’d rather not place your produce directly into your shopping cart.
3. Shop Seasonal & Local
It is amazing to be able to walk into a grocery store and see every kind of fruit and vegetable imaginable, no matter what season it is. However, this luxury is not the most sustainable practice. Off-season produce requires a lot of resources and extensive transportation to make it to the shelves of your grocery store, making it a less sustainable choice. Try to buy fruits and vegetables that are in season, they’re fresher, taste better, and are generally cheaper. Take it a step further and support local grocery stores. Produce grown near your community contributes minimal transportation pollution and supports local farmers.
4. Be intentional with your shopping
Plan out your shopping beforehand and even plan out your meals for the week. Shopping with a list keeps you focused in the grocery store, saving time and money by limiting impulse buys and wandering around the store. Also, by planning out your meals, you’ll have a better understanding of the quantity of items needed. You can use apps like this one to help organize your shopping list by category, share your list with roommates or family, and store recipes for easy access in the store.
5. Try a plant-based meal
You do not have to commit to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, but even cutting out meat for one day or one meal can greatly reduce your carbon footprint- and save you money. Beans are a protein-packed, cheap, and versatile alternative. Canned beans are easily accessible and easy to turn into a meal, and the cans are easily recyclable as opposed to the styrofoam and plastic wrap meat generally comes in. Canned beans have an extensive shelf life, so they are a great protein to stock-up on!
6. Store your food like a pro
Make sure you keep all of your groceries stored in the proper conditions to increase their longevity. There are many websites that provide information on the freshness of items and compare storage options. If you are worried something might go bad before you can finish it, consider freezing. You’d be surprised at how many things can be frozen- breads, meats, fruits, and vegetables can all extend their shelf life by being frozen. Some vegetables require a quick blanch before being frozen, so be sure to look up proper freezing instructions.