Hi there dear readers!

Hope you are enjoying your day so far. Any groceries done today? If not, maybe I can inspire you today to do better while grocery shopping:) Here are 10 easy tips to add a little kindness immediately:

  • Bring your own shopper to do groceries. Easy as that. Since there are so many cute and fun cotton tote’s available these days, bringing your own (including fashion statement) shouldn’t be a problem. Maybe you can put one in your handbag, for unexpected groceries.
  • I personally do my weekly groceries and include groceries for five meals. Knowing a week counts seven days, it gives me the possibility to have one meal created with leftovers and one meal fully open to do a spontaneous dinner at a friend/ in a restaurant or take-away. For me it is important to eat my leftovers and to reduce the waste of food. It simply hurts my heart when I throw out food I could have eaten. These days, you find multiple Apps (such as NoWaste, Love Your Leftovers) to easily create a delicious meal with your leftovers. Make this a habit and you reduce your waste of food a lot!
  • Avoid the plastic packages. Make it a habit to consider if you need the plastic bag around your veggies. Think of the way you will prepare your vegetables before grabbing it: will you be peeling of the skin before eating? Will you take off the outer leaves before prepping (like with cole’s and salad)? No need for a plastic bag. Even if you would eat the skin, you can consider to wash it really well. If you feel you really need the bag still, consider to put it in a sustainable, or re-usable bag you brought yourself. If the store offers paper bags as alternative, choose those: they are 100% compostable.
  • If you go to the grocery store, start considering the biological/organic alternative of each product. These days, grocery stores offer a good bio alternative for almost every single product. I hear you thinking: that’s going to cost me a lot. But what if you choose one biological alternative at a time? If you start with a bio alternative for your favorite chocolate, you won’t feel it that much in your wallet. Build it up and take it as a challenge to find a new bio alternative for your grocery-list every visit. In a few weeks, your groceries will be mostly biological. With that, you will be more conscious of the products, the pure taste, your reduction of footprint and the health benefits, making you buy less of the crap. And that’s a saving!
  • If you can, visit an ecological grocery store to buy your basics of high quality such as flour, oats, nuts and grains. You don’t buy them as often so it’s a good investment. I prefer Marqt and Eco Plaza in Amsterdam for my kitchen basics.
  • Visit a (farmers)market, to buy your groceries more biological and pure. Try it out, as I am convinced you will taste the difference. A market usually has a very good vibe and products are priced very well. The smells, the tastes; it’s all very nice to experience. But what’s best is the pureness of the groceries you’ll find there. Unlike any grocery store.
  • Eat more vegetarian if you can. In my opinion, you don’t necessary have to do it everyday but try to add a few ‘vega’ days into your week-menu. The opportunities for good veggie meals and meatless alternatives are endless and it definitely contributes the environment.
  • Try and focus on seasonal products. I love this personally because it makes you excited for each season and its’ flavors:) But most importantly seasonal products are the products that are grown and produced in their most natural way, having the best taste of the year in the time the product is harvested. It’s because nothing grows, ripens or blooms all year long, so if we still buy them in another season you have a fair change it’s been treated, gassed, irradiated, bleached and preserved. Avoiding this, lowers your carbon footprint. Next to that, prices and qualities fluctuate off season. To easily find the in-season products, check the perfect guide of BBC here.
  • Do you live more on the country side? Drive around a little bit and find locals who sell fruits & veggies from their gardens, eggs from their chickens or even local butchers, bakeries and cheese-farms. The trip itself can be a little adventure, while the tastes of the products are mind-blowing, local food benefits the environment and you support your local community in development.
  • Locally there are a lot of grocery stores, restaurants and bars with ‘left overs’ which are perfect to eat still but are close to their expiration date. To avoid the waist of good food and to save some money, try to find cheap and good groceries via online initiatives and apps such as Too Good To Go, Y Waster, NoFoodWasted or Yourlocal.

Bring your own shopper at all times

Buy locally whenever you can (at home & on holiday)

Buy in-season products as much as possible

 

What is your way of doing well in grocery shopping? Curious about your tips and experiences.

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