My Interview With The Daily Mail: Be More Connected to your Food
I was interviewed recently by the Daily Mail. It was about the recent call-to-action from the charity Wrap to supermarkets. They are urging supermarkets to ditch the sell-by dates on packaging.
All in the effort to promote less waste, and I absolutely support it.
How to Identify Spoiled Food
Growing up in Morocco, we didn’t have supermarkets until I was 12, and dates on the packaging didn’t exist. We bought produce from markets regularly or picked it up from my grandfather’s farm for the day we needed it.
The food was fresh, and we ate it soon after it was bought. Unless it was yogurt, which we kept longer for the healthy bacteria to occur. Waste didn’t happen.
I know that many people have busy lives and shopping this way is not always possible but becoming more tuned to our foods is good practice.
It’s time to stop relying on sell-by dates and ditching foods that are perfectly fine to eat.
Trust your judgment
This move will undoubtedly encourage more people to think about their food. To look at the color and skin, feel and smell the produce, check the consistency and appearance – and generally be more connected.
Does the produce look, smell, and feel good to eat? These thoughts will become second nature.
Ultimately this practice will reduce waste, save money, and, more likely, more nutrients will be ingested.
Crunchy vegetables, for instance, get softer. So, initially, you would use them for a salad or steamed lightly, then as they age, you could use them in soup or roast them.
Or prepare them and add a sprinkling of salt for a quick healthy snack!
Also, when buying a bunch of organic green bananas for next week’s lunch box, buy extra for the next week too. When they are browning, smoothies are taken care of, for instance.
Or use it to make my nutritious banana bread!
Meat should be cooked soon after purchase, as well as fish.
Smells and appearance are a huge indication that they are past their best, and getting a second opinion if you are not sure, is wise.
Click here to read the article with good food safety advice from a panel of food and nutrition experts.
Even if you already do this practice, planning meals and shopping for the ingredients you need for the week is often a good idea. A little time spent focusing on this can save money and waste.
If you are a member of our Eat Burn Sleep community, you will already have meal planning prepared, with recipes to reduce inflammation and fight disease and nutrition advice.
I know from feedback that these are appreciated because knowing exactly what to eat, if there are health concerns for optimum results, takes the stress away. I love creating them.
Using up food before they go over is so satisfying.
So, what would I do with some vegetables when they are on their last legs, so to speak? I would make soup! White Good Carbs Soup, Gazpacho Andaluz, Cream of Broccoli and Zucchini Soup or Cabbage & Basil Soup.
Prepared in moments, this cleansing soup, with each ingredient chosen for its unique healing properties, will boost gut and mental health. This will alleviate chronic inflammation symptoms, strengthen the immune system, and promote cell DNA repair.
You could freeze it and add the coconut milk at a later date!
Members, I know that my version of Shakshuka is one of your favorites because it’s a crowd-pleasing comfort food.
Kids love it, too. (I have always had to consider children when creating the recipe since I have two!).
If there are hungry people around you, eggs that need to be used up, and a batch of my delicious and versatile tomato sauce at the ready, consider this quick and easy dish.
The shopping lists will ensure that you have the other anti-inflammatory ingredients. Through Wrap’s campaign urging supermarkets to ditch the sell-by date, I am hoping that more people will see positive results from being more connected to the food they consume.
I wish you a healthy, happy day!
