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I'm pretty guilty of food waste. In particular fresh produce. But to be honest I'm unrepentant about it. The health benefits of a diet high in fruits and veget

I'm pretty guilty of food waste. In particular fresh produce. But to be honest I'm unrepentant about it. The health benefits of a diet high in fruits and vegetables are just enormous. I'd much rather over-buy than under-buy. If someone in the household ends up eating junk food because there was no fruit/veggie option, that's a disastrous failure condition. The solution is to make sure that we never run out of fruits and vegetables, which necessarily entails keeping excess inventory that will eventually be thrown out. Is this financially wasteful? In a very narrow sense, sure. Yet even in just economic terms the health benefits from a diet high in fruits and vegetables overwhelms any grocery bill considerations. At the end of the day produce is much cheaper than insulin.

ticmasta 7y ago
certain aspects of nutrition are best met with fresh vegetables, and definitely taste desires, but supplementing with frozen fruits and veggies can be just as healthy, reduce waste and let you stock up in-season for later in the year. It's pretty hard to freeze leafy greens for a nice salad though...
- dcolkitt 7y ago
  That's an excellent point about freezing. And we certainly do keep the freezer stocked to the brim with frozen options. Like you alluded to the biggest challenge is the taste factor. Eating veggies over junk food is already enough of an uphill battle willpower wise. Especially with kids in the house. Combined with the inconvenience of dethawing, they're just not that popular. I wish American super-markets would stock a wider range of fermented vegetables. In terms of long-term preservation, I find fermentation to be more appealing than freezing for most cases. Frozen veggies typically just taste like a flatter version of their fresh counterparts. Whereas fermented veggies have a unique taste that's appealing all on its own.

ticmasta 7y ago

certain aspects of nutrition are best met with fresh vegetables, and definitely taste desires, but supplementing with frozen fruits and veggies can be just as healthy, reduce waste and let you stock up in-season for later in the year. It's pretty hard to freeze leafy greens for a nice salad though...

dcolkitt 7y ago
That's an excellent point about freezing. And we certainly do keep the freezer stocked to the brim with frozen options. Like you alluded to the biggest challenge is the taste factor. Eating veggies over junk food is already enough of an uphill battle willpower wise. Especially with kids in the house. Combined with the inconvenience of dethawing, they're just not that popular. I wish American super-markets would stock a wider range of fermented vegetables. In terms of long-term preservation, I find fermentation to be more appealing than freezing for most cases. Frozen veggies typically just taste like a flatter version of their fresh counterparts. Whereas fermented veggies have a unique taste that's appealing all on its own.