The good news is that reducing food waste doesn’t have to mean selling all your material possessions and moving to an organic farming community. In fact, here are eight easy ways to reduce food waste today:

1. Whip up a bone broth 

Thanks to its collagen and mineral content, bone broth is one of my favorite superfoods. I often recommend it to my patients for restoring gut function and aid in healing from problems such as candida overgrowth, leaky gut syndrome, and irritable bowel syndrome. You can make bone broth at home by buying whole chickens — which also saves you money — and then using the bones to make a batch of broth in a slow cooker or Instant Pot (here’s my definitive guide to bone broth). Bone broth can be frozen and used as the base for soups and other recipes, or you can drink it in the morning or afternoon for a gut-healing treat. If you have extra fresh turmeric or ginger lying around, you can add them to your broth for extra healing benefits. 

2. Get creative with juices and smoothies 

Have a little extra kale, celery, apple, or lemon that is looking a little worse for wear? Add them to a smoothie or juice them for a midday snack! This is a great way to make use of extra fresh produce you have around the house. If you don’t feel like a smoothie today, you can also freeze fruit or vegetables that are getting old and just grab them when you need them. 

3. Freeze, freeze, freeze! 

Speaking of frozen fruit and veggies, there’s a rule I always tell my patients about food waste: When in doubt, freeze it! If you are even the slightest bit unsure of whether or not you’ll use that fruit or vegetable before it goes bad chop it up and freeze it. Then, if you are ever in a pinch for dinner, throw them in a crock pot with some broth and seasonings for a veggie soup, add them to quick stir-fry, incorporate them into an omelette, or add them to a smoothie. This will save you time and eliminate waste.

4. Regrow scraps

Did you know that you can actually regrow vegetables from their scraps? It seems too good to be true but it isn’t! This is great for anyone on a budget because instead of buying additional produce, you can regrow them yourself in your kitchen. For example, the ends of many vegetables can be added to water to produce additional tops. Here’s a list of some vegetables that can be regrown:

• Green onions
• Romaine lettuce
• Celery
• Garlic
• Onion

Pretty cool, right? The instructions are slightly different for each one so be sure to look up the steps and tools needed for each one. I recommend looking for a YouTube video so you can see each step for yourself! 

5. Eat the whole animal (including organ meats!) 

Many people turn up their nose at organ meats but the truth is, they are the most nutritious of all. Many people need extra B vitamins for detoxification support, and organ meats are the food that’s the highest in B vitamins which act as the fuel for methylation — the biochemical process in our body responsible for hundreds of pathways that maintain healthy hormones, detoxification, and brain function. Organ meats are also high in the active form of vitamin A and the antioxidant CoQ10, so by eating the entire animal you are servicing the planet and your body! 

6. Make a side or “snack” soup 

If you have extra vegetables laying around the house that look like they’re close to going bad, I recommend making a soup out of them. And you don’t have to think about soup as your main meal, either. Soup can be eaten as a snack or even with your breakfast. The best part is that with the right spices and some salt, pepper, and garlic, soup can be made from pretty much any vegetable out there and it’s delicious! 

7. Make healthy dog food

Yes, I’m serious! If eating organ meat just isn’t appealing to you, your four-legged friend would certainly love what you’d want to throw away! Most conventional dog food contains grains and other ingredients less than ideal for your furry friend. By making your own dog food with vegetables, bone broth, and leftover organ meats, you are using up what you would otherwise throw away while also elevating their health so you can enjoy their company for many more years to come. There are a ton of easy recipes online. 

Food waste is a big problem, but solving food waste in our own lives doesn’t have to be a big sacrifice or major effort. By remembering just a few of the tips above, you can greatly cut down on your food waste and know you’re doing great things for both your health and the health of the planet!

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