Living and eating plastic-free – is it possible?

Healthy eating starts with shopping

For some time now, the enormous pollution of our planet caused by plastic waste has been regularly in the news. The social media report daily on the catastrophic masses of waste in the oceans and the terrible effects on people, animals and our planet.

Microplastics can already be found in many of our (edible) fish. Even the tiniest traces of plastic can now be detected in human blood.

Perhaps you are now wondering what the topic of “plastic-free” has to do with healthy eating? A whole lot!

As a nutritionist, I make sure that the food we eat is healthy. However, there is one important point before this: It’s not just about eating high-quality and healthy organic food. We should pay attention to where food comes from and how manufacturers package their products when we go shopping.

Plastic-free shopping

Buying packaging-free is not that complicated. Think about what you need before you go shopping. Bring your own bags, baskets or reusable bags for easy transportation.

In the best case scenario, there is a supermarket nearby that enables plastic-free shopping. For some years now, there have been more and more of these so-called “unpackaged stores”. There you can buy not only basic foodstuffs, fruit and vegetables, but also cleaning products and toiletries, for example, without packaging.

In principle, shopping here is child’s play: simply bring your own containers (e.g. large screw-top jars, Tupperware or stainless steel boxes). There you fill the required quantity yourself. The contents are weighed and paid for at the checkout.

If you would like to try it out in Munich, then take a look at the following countries:

• The plastic-free store
• “Without” loading
• Naturlieferant

Plastic-free shopping is also generally possible at the nearest butcher or bakery. More and more vendors agree to put the food over the counter in a cloth bag or the container they have brought with them.

It may seem a little strange at first to take jars and/or stainless steel containers of different sizes with you when you go shopping. Over time, however, you get used to always having your shopping utensils with you. This simply avoids unnecessary plastic waste.

Shopping at the weekly market is another plastic-free way to buy fresh food from regional producers. It simply doesn’t get any better than this, does it?

But not everyone has a store for plastic-free shopping nearby or time for the weekly market. Even in the supermarket, you can make sure you buy your food without packaging. More and more stores and even large retail chains are now offering organic food with “BIO” laser branding instead of the familiar plastic wrap.

Another great alternative for sustainable and packaging-free shopping is offered by fruit and vegetable box delivery services. Associations of farmers or fruit and vegetable producers, usually organized as cooperatives, deliver boxes full of seasonal (organic) fruit and vegetables to their members at regular intervals. In this way, you receive healthy food, mostly in the best organic quality, fresh directly from the producer and can prepare and enjoy it straight away.

For Munich, for example, there is the
Kartoffelkombinat

, the rescue boxes from
etepetete
or the
Ökokiste from Amperhof
.

Store plastic-free

You have now bought your plastic-free goods and prepared them for a healthy meal. Why not cook a little more right away and then feast healthily again at a later date?

It is therefore a good idea to take the previous day’s dinner with you to school, university or work for lunch the next day. This is very easy to do with leak-proof show jars or in suitable thermo jars or stainless steel boxes. The jar or container can then be rinsed and reused, for example for the next plastic-free shopping trip.

Did you know that you can also freeze food in jars with screw caps or stainless steel storage containers? Soups, vegetables, sauces, herbs, berries, peas, etc. are ideal for this. Please note that liquid food expands slightly when frozen. Only fill the screw-top jars or containers 3/4 full so that there are no nasty surprises in the freezer compartment. You can also freeze bread and rolls in a paper bag from the bakery or in a cotton bag.

A healthy diet also means a healthy environment

While looking after my patients and clients in nutritional counseling, I have repeatedly had the wonderful experience that a healthy and sustainable lifestyle ultimately develops from an understanding of a healthy diet.

This often goes hand in hand with buying seasonal products. It also supports regional food producers and avoids the unnecessary shipping of fruit and vegetables from distant countries.

Next time you go shopping, just try to be a little more aware of whether you can get one or two foods in a plastic or packaging-free alternative.

I look forward to hearing about your experiences!

Your nutritionist Munich – Silke Schweitzer