如何減少食物浪費

如何減少食物浪費

Food waste is a huge problem in the United States. The good news: Each of us can help solve it.

食物浪費在美國是個大問題。好消息是:我們每個人都可以幫助解決這個問題。

Consider this: A typical household of four tosses out about $1.600 worth of food annually. Up to 40% of the food that's produced never makes it to our mouths, and all this waste is enough to fill the highest skyscraper in Chicago 44 times a year, according to an estimate by the Department of Agriculture. Meanwhile, 1 in 8 Americans struggle with food scarcity.

想想看:一個典型的四口之家每年要扔掉價值1600美元的食物。根據農業(yè)部的估計，高達40%的食物都沒有送到我們的嘴里，而所有這些垃圾一年就足以填滿芝加哥最高的摩天大樓44次。與此同時，八分之一的美國人在與食物短缺作斗爭。

Our discarded food often ends up in landfills, where it rots and then starts to emit methane — a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. A recent report from the United Nations panel on climate change estimates food waste accounts for as much as 10% of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.

我們丟棄的食物經常被扔進垃圾填埋場，在那里腐爛，然后開始釋放甲烷——一種比二氧化碳強得多的溫室氣體。聯合國氣候變化專門委員會最近發(fā)布的一份報告估計，人類產生的溫室氣體排放中，有10%來自食品浪費。

While many environmentally friendly practices — say, buying an electric car or installing solar panels — require an upfront investment, you can start saving immediately once you put in place these tips to reduce food waste.

雖然許多環(huán)保措施——比如購買一輛電動汽車或安裝太陽能電池板——需要前期投資，但一旦你落實了這些建議，就可以立即開始節(jié)約，以減少食物浪費。

Here are five simple ways to start reducing your food waste at home today.

這里有五個簡單的方法來減少你今天在家里浪費的食物。

1.    Make a plan

做個計劃

Before you shop for groceries, think about exactly what you need for the week, make a list — and then stick to it.

在你買雜貨之前，想想你這一周到底需要什么，列個清單，然后按清單買。

Because let's be honest, many of us are "aspirational shoppers" — we throw things in the cart that sound good or look novel, and then we let them sit in the back of the fridge for a few weeks.

因為說實話，我們很多人都是“有抱負的購物者”——我們把聽起來不錯或看起來很新奇的東西扔進購物車，然后讓它們在冰箱里放幾個星期。

When food does go bad, take stock: What are you already buying too much of? What are you always throwing away?

當食物變質時，盤點一下:你已經買得太多的是什么?你總是扔掉什么?

Just the act of adding up what you let go to waste can help change the way you think about your food. Then you can use that information to be a more conscious consumer during your next trip to the grocery store.

只是把你浪費掉的食物加起來，就能改變你對食物的看法。然后，你可以利用這些信息，在下次去雜貨店的時候成為一個更有意識的消費者。

2.    Get creative with repurposing food

創(chuàng)造性地利用食物

Before walking straight to the trash with your soggy spinach or old carrots, ask yourself: Can I make this into something new?

在你拿著濕漉漉的菠菜或老胡蘿卜直接走向垃圾桶之前，問問自己:我能把它變成新的東西嗎?

According to chef and restaurant owner Tiffany Derry, the answer is probably yes. Derry says, you don't need to follow any complicated recipes to turn older produce into a fresh new dish. (But if you want to try one, here's a sweet recipe for your overripe avocados).

廚師兼餐廳老板蒂芙尼·德里表示，答案可能是肯定的。德里說，你不需要遵循任何復雜的食譜來把舊的農產品變成一道菜。(但如果你想嘗一嘗，這里有一份甜的食譜，可以搭配熟過頭的牛油果)。

Here are some of her favorite hacks for wilted greens:

以下是她最喜歡的一些對付枯萎的蔬菜的方法:

Saute them with some of your favorite spices — she suggests a little bit of onion and garlic. Throw them in for some flavor in a soup or a sauce.  Putting mildly wilted greens in ice water may help perk them up.

用你最喜歡的香料炒一下——她建議加點洋蔥和大蒜。把它們放入湯或醬汁中調味。把稍微有點枯萎的綠色植物放到冰水里可能會讓它們新鮮起來。

3. Your freezer is your friend

你的冰箱就是你的朋友

If you realize that you won't be able to use food before it's too late, turn to the trusty freezer.

如果你意識到你不能在太遲之前使用食物，轉向可靠的冰箱。

"No one would throw away anything that had a two hundred dollar value to it," says Katherine Miller, vice president of impact at the James Beard Foundation. "I mean, think about all the things, all the time that we spend trying to find lost things because they have value to us."

“沒有人會扔掉任何價值200美元的東西，”詹姆斯·比爾德基金會負責影響力的副總裁凱瑟琳·米勒說。“我的意思是，想想所有的事情，我們花費所有的時間去尋找丟失的東西，因為它們對我們有價值。”

Did you know you can freeze almost anything? Your bread, your grains, your fruits, your veggies — even your milk!

你知道你可以冷凍幾乎任何東西嗎?你的面包，你的谷物，你的水果，你的蔬菜，甚至你的牛奶!