You may have noticed that there’s a lot of talk about “going green” and choosing to be more mindful of the decisions we make with regard to our environment and, by extension, our health and wellness. Solar panels are popping up everywhere, and businesses are cutting back on the use of plastic bags and straws, to name a few recent developments. A growing number of individuals, as well, are looking for a more sustainable way to live that will create a more positive impact on the environment.
I’ve found that one of the best ways to approach this issue of “going green” is to rethink how we approach our daily and weekly habits, including such tasks as grocery shopping. Some really simple tweaks to our grocery shopping routine can make a huge impact over time, and I’d love to share with you some of my favorite ways to do just that.
Make a shopping list
Going grocery shopping with a list seems like a no-brainer, but we don’t always follow the common sense (and practical) route when we go to buy food. When you enter the supermarket without a game plan, a lot of unintended items can end up in your shopping cart. The fallout from this common mistake: unplanned and unnecessary spending, and a pantry and fridge full of items that you probably don’t need and that don’t help you achieve your health goals.
Downloading a grocery shopping app to your phone is a fantastic way to stay on top of your grocery shopping list, especially if you’re prone to not create a handwritten list. One of the pluses of a grocery shopping app is that you and other members of your household can share an account together, so each person in the home can place items on the grocery list that will show up on everyone’s device.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag)
Bringing your own reusable grocery bags along on your shopping trips has become a popular practice for many shoppers and evidence of a desire to make “going green” practical. At some grocery stores, if you don’t bring your own bags, you have to pay for the bags supplied at check-out. Not only can you carry reusable totes for your grocery purchases, but have you considered carrying bags for your produce and containers for bulk item purchases? I confess that I have purchased mesh produce bags, but I tend to keep them for use in the fridge once I get my produce back home.
On Amazon, you can find eco-friendly mesh bags that are great for produce and help you avoid using plastic bags when purchasing fresh produce. You can also invest in reusable silicone bags for bulk items such as quinoa and nuts.
Befriend the bulk aisle
You can save a great deal of money and cut down on unnecessary packaging (think boxes, bags, and plastic clam shell containers) by shopping in your supermarket’s bulk aisle. Here you can find your grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, spices, and much more. Bulk shopping usually translates into a lower price on the items you purchase, but the extra benefit is that your bulk purchases are probably going to be fresher than their pre-packaged counterparts.
Head to the bulk aisle as you first walk in the store with your list ready, before you head to the other sections of the store. You’ll probably find a large portion of what you’re looking for in the bulk section. Going there first will help you kick the habit of choosing pre-packaged items first.
Perfect your kitchen storage
“Going green” carries over to the way in which you store your grocery store items once you get home. Consider all of the things you’re purchasing and what they’re packaged in. I definitely understand how convenient it is to pick up a bag of pre-packaged almonds or a jar of almond butter. But what if you brought a mason jar to fill with fresh almond butter from the nut-butter station, or a silicone reusable bag for your nuts, grains, and legumes? You wouldn’t have to find another way to store these items when you get home.
I’ve used these silicone bags to store produce, such as baby carrots and grape tomatoes, once I get them home. And I’m a huge fan of mason jars! These clear glass containers are the epitome of “going green” as they are non-toxic and make it easy to identify their contents in the pantry or the fridge. No need to open boxes or dig through a mess to work out how much more of a product you have left. Plus, mason jars are dishwasher safe, so you don’t end up throwing them in the trash as you would with typical disposable containers.
On a scale of 1-10, how “green” would you rate yourself when it comes to grocery shopping?
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