Embracing the ‘ugly’

It’s a staggering fact, but up to 40% of a crop of vegetables go to waste, just because they don’t meet the aesthetic requirements of supermarkets. That’s an incredible amount of food that’s thrown away before it even goes into our shopping baskets, never mind being forgotten about in the back of our fridges!

As we strive to meet green energy targets, we all want to do more and that should include seriously thinking about sustainability when it comes to food – creating an eco-balance has never been more important. 

Taking more time to think about what you eat, where it comes from and how it is produced, can start you on a healthier road – for both you and the planet. By making small changes to our daily lives we can all play a part and really make a difference.

Eat happy food

It’s not all just about food waste, eating more plant-based foods and fewer foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar, means we’re healthier and happier. 

Forget the myths that plant-based diets are just for vegans. We can all adopt a flexitarian diet, making simple changes to what we eat and focusing more on vegetables, nuts and pulses. Your body will thank you!

Choose life – choose cauliflower

Some supermarkets have realised we don’t all want our vegetables to be perfectly shaped and have started stocking wonky veg.

Misshapen cauliflowers now sit alongside knobbly carrots and taste just as good as vegetables that have grown into a more ‘perfect’ shape.

That’s good for us because we should be getting plenty of cauliflower in our diet – this veg is a true superfood. High in fibre, it slows digestion, keeping us fuller for longer. 

Full of vitamins B and C, caulies are low in calories and packed with antioxidants and the rich nutrients we need to maintain good health. Did you know that just one serving of cauliflower contains 100% of the daily value of vitamin C to help support immunity?

Cauliflowers also protect cells from DNA damage and, importantly, have anti-inflammatory effects.

A nutritional powerhouse, cauliflower isa carbohydrate, just like all vegetables. As it’s the non-starchy, complex kind with lots of fibre and low amounts of naturally occurring sugar, it’s a good carb to have in your diet.

We’ve boiled and steamed cauliflowers, roasted cauliflower ‘steaks’ and even made cauliflower ‘rice’.

Plant power & smart snacking

One in five of us are now actively searching for healthier snacking options, and just as many have been making a decision to eat more plant-based products since earlier this year. 

Add in growing awareness of the health risks from obesity and diabetes, and the recent threat of coronavirus, and it’s easy to see why we’re more aware of what we put into our bodies.

There are even cauliflower crisps made from wonky veg, with the imperfections transformed into a low-calorie snack. The wonky veg are turned into pellets, which can be fried or roasted, and then become crisps. Low in salt and saturated fat, they’re a healthy option.

Family-friendly snacking options that we can all share are high on our shopping lists and along with low calorie counts and low salt levels, what we really want are tasty bites.

This article was produced by Nudie Snacks the company behind the world’s first Cauliflower Crisps. Delicious healthy and versatile, you can pack them in children’s lunch boxes, open them for a mid-afternoon snack, or share them with a glass of wine. Try them today.

Visit Nudie Snacks