Eco Tips for the Kitchen

Here are some tips on how to be green in the kitchen.

• Only put the amount of water you need into the kettle.
• Only use the amount of water you need to boil vegetables or pasta.
• Only run the correct amount of water when washing dishes, pots and pans.
• A small squirt of washing up liquid is usually all that is needed - you don't need masses of bubbles to get things clean.
• Use a microwave to reheat or warm food rather than the oven. [Read more about re-heating food safely.]
• A slow cooker pot uses less electricity than a conventional oven.
• Close the fridge door unless you are taking something out or putting something in.
• Fill empty space in a freezer (e.g. with crumpled newspaper) as this uses less power than freezing air. 
• Try and cook only the amount of food you will eat, unless you are deliberately cooking a larger amount to be used over two or more days.
• Put vegetable and fruit peelings, used tea leaves and tea bags, and coffee grounds in a compost bin. You can also compost left over salad and vegetables which cannot be re-used in a later meal.
• If you don't have a garden, put cooked and uncooked waste food items in the waste food bin if this is separately collected by your local council (and in the household waste bin if not collected separately).
• Recycle as much food and cleaning materials packaging (cardboard, plastic containers, bottles, etc.) as you can. Check with your local council recycling service on what can be recycled and how. 
• Don't over-stock your cupboards; although many items have a long shelf life, it is easy to forget you have something. Beware multi-buy offers which often seduce you into buying more than you need.

Various sources

Handy Portion Control

A lack of portion control is one of the main reasons people are overweight. Here is a foolproof guide to serving sizes - using just your hand.

Fist = carbs and fruit. A portion of carbs (e.g. potatoes, rice or pasta) should be no bigger than your closed fist, or a tennis ball. Fruit portions should be a similar size.

Palm = protein. Protein portions (meat, fish, poultry, tofu) should be about the size ofyour cupped palm.

Thumb = cheese and nuts. Match portions of cheese and nuts to your thumb size.

Fingertips = fats. A slice of toast should have no more than a fingertip sized amount of butter.

Hand = veg. Open your hand and spread your fingers as wide as you can - that is a good vegetable portion.

Item in Good Housekeeping, July 2015

Reheating Food

The rules about reheating food are simple.

You can reheat any food (except cooked rice) as many times as needed, but make sure it is hot right the way through every time.

Cool any food you want to reheat as quickly as possible and put in the fridge as soon as it is at room temperature.

When reheating using a microwave oven, there may be uneven heating. Split heating session in two or three and move item position (e.g. pies, sponges) or stir well (e.g. soups, casseroles, stewed fruit) between bursts of heat.

Only heat cooked rice once. Rice can contain a bacteria; once the rice is cooked, the bacteria grow in the moist, warm rice and produce a toxin that survives further cooking. So if you're not going to eat rice straight after you've cooked it, then you need to store it in the fridge – as soon as possible, but definitely within four hours. Refrigeration won't kill the bacteria but it will slow down its growth – any uneaten rice should be thrown out after three days in the fridge.

Links to further information http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2009/01/27/2475255.htm and http://www.typesofbacteria.co.uk/bacillus-cereus-cereals-rice.html

Declutter to Eat Healthily

US researchers found that making a few simple changes to your kitchen means you need less willpower to eat healthily.

1. People with a bowl of fruit on the worktop or table weigh, on average, 8 lb less than those who don't have one.
2. Messy kitchens prompted people to eat 44% more snacks than those that were ordered and clutter free. So put away unnecessary gadgets, chopping boards and utensils.
3. Moved biscuits, baked goods and crisps off worktops and tables. Those who had unhealthy snacks on view weighed 10 lb more than those who didn't.
4. Make healthier foods more visible. Move fruit and veg from the salad drawer to a shelf in the fridge, and put less healthy foods in the drawer.
5. Don't dish up at the table. People eat 19% less food when served from the bowls on the worktop or stove instead of bowls on the table.

Item in Good Housekeeping, July 2015

How to Walk in High Heels

1. When buying high heeled shoes, check their stability before even trying them on. Put each shoe on a flat surface and lightly tap the back with your finger. If the shoe rocks from side to side it is not stable, and you will always have difficulty keeping your balance.

2. Before putting on your heels, warm up and stretch your muscles. Stand with feet together, rise on the balls of your feet and balance there for five seconds. Lower your heels to the ground and repeat three times.

3. As you walk, with each step turn your foot outwards, presenting your inner thigh. The higher the shoe, the more you need to turn out your foot. Lead with the ball of your foot and not the heel as you walk.

4. Take a tennis ball in your bag and, when no-one is looking, slip your feet out of your shoes and roll your soles over the ball to relieve the muscles.

Chyna Whyne of Walking in Stilettos classes, in Good Housekeeping, July 2015

Other related posts: ~~ High Heels ~~ Find your correct Shoe Heel Height ~~