COOKING

How do you eat really healthy for yourself and the environment?

• Choose local and seasonal products. The longer a product has traveled, the more plastic, preservatives and pesticides it contains

• • Cook in ceramic pots

• • Eat less meat - eating meat is one of the biggest causes of increased CO2 emissions. In addition, the meat is often injected with water to make it heavier, while the animals are treated with antibiotics and penicillin to protect them from disease

• • Opt for a flexitarian menu: one day without meat per week

• • Eat tofu, protein, nuts and try a varied diet

• • Do not eat excess fish; eat local fish

• • Cook with fresh ingredients, it’s cheaper and healthier

• • Avoid ready-to-eat products

• • Pay attention to palm oil

• • At the restaurant, ask the waiter what seasonal food they have on the menu; ask for takeout if you can't finish everything you have on your plate

• • Try to enjoy cold food as well

• Use leftovers to make new types of food

• Before throwing food away, think about how many resources were consumed to get Indian rice, Sri Lankan tea or Ecuadorian bananas

• Before opening a product, check if you have a similar one opened

• Plan your meals in advance for a few days

• If you want to cook on the same day of purchasing the products, you can buy items nearing their expiration dates

• Cook only portions that you and your family can eat. If there are any leftovers, put them in the fridge for the next day

• Edible oil

• Don't forget about pets - they will be very happy to receive some leftovers

• The vegetables you have already cut spoil faster, so eat them first

• Always keep in your house a stock of products with a long shelf life (pasta) that you can use to whip up delicious recipes with food scraps

• Place the products in the order of expiration on the shelves or in the refrigerator

• Do not refrigerate hot food

• When you freeze something, write down the date

• Do not refreeze a product that you already thawed once

• Stop the fire when it boils

• Cook with a lid, avoid losses; open the oven door only when necessary

• Remove food from the freezer one day before use and avoid microwave thawing

• Do not keep the refrigerator door open

• In the fridge, the lower temperature is on the lower shelves (store here fish, meat, leftovers, perishable food), while storing butter, cheese and eggs on the upper shelves

• Give up pans with Teflon, PFOA or other chemicals

• Reuse the jars

• Use bamboo or stainless steel utensils

• Be creative in the kitchen: use everything you have at hand

• Learn to make your own granola or popcorn

• Replace paper towels with cloth ones

• Try healthier alternatives to cow's milk: oat milk, coconut milk or rice milk

• Replace meat with mushrooms, eggplants, lentils

• Pay attention to the amount of cheese you eat: cedar cheese and mozzarella use 10 pounds of milk to make a pound of cheese

• Avoid meat, especially beef

• When you cook pasta, you can also steam some fresh vegetables