Blog Archives - Neutral Eating

Best Sustainable Kitchen Products

Neutral Eating — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 23:16:53 +0000

Functionality is just as important as sustainability. Because if a sustainable product is not functional, then you’re not going to use it.

In our opinion, all products mentioned in this article are just as functional (if not more so) than their non-sustainable counterparts.

Get ready to increase the efficiency of your kitchen, lower your carbon footprint, improve aesthetics, and save money (it pays to be sustainable)!

1. Grocery Bags

Do you know where plastic grocery bags fail? They fail at carrying groceries.

Plastic grocery bags tear. They require too many trips to and from the car. They spill out in the trunk. They fill your home with plastic clutter. They are bad for the environment. Plastic grocery bags are a pain.

Grocery Box Bags

Instead, try a grocery box bag. These bags have reinforced sides making them sturdy and easy to carry. Instead of 15 grocery bags, you probably only need 2 reinforced totes.

Grocery Box Bags make grocery shopping better. Buy them for the sake of efficiency and practicality. At this point, saving the environment is a bonus.

2. Produce Bags

Plastic produce bags do not make sense. They don’t breathe. They cause condensation to collect on your veggies which makes them go bad faster. They are too thin to be reused. They tear. Plastic produce bags are a waste of plastic.

Cotton Produce Bags

Try a produce bag made from cotton or mesh. A produce bag with good ventilation keeps your produce fresh for longer.

What’s more, reusable produce bags are convenient to use. They are large. They don’t tear. They have a draw-string to keep them close. And they’re machine washable so you don’t have to worry about a bag getting dirty.

Cotton produce bags make grocery shopping easier (and more sustainable).

3. Ziploc Bags

Ziploc bags are handy. So much so that our sandwich bag usage can become excessive if we’re not careful.

A great way to reduce Ziploc waste is simply to reuse. (How many clean, barely used baggies have you thrown away?)

Grab a gallon sized Ziploc to store your barely used baggies. On many non-food occasions, used Ziploc bags work just fine.

Silicone Zip Lock Bags

Replace plastic baggies with Silicone Zip Lock Bags. These dishwasher safe bags are great for storing leftovers, packing snacks, and performing all other plastic-bag tasks.

Silicone bags are a practical way to cut down on your plastic usage.

4. Tinfoil

Tinfoil has its place, but it’s not for covering a baking sheet.

Tinfoil tears. If you’re using tinfoil to keep your baking sheet clean, then you’re setting yourself up for frustration. Moreover, tinfoil is not a nonstick surface. You and your baking sheet deserve a greener, more efficient solution…

SilPat

Cover your baking sheet with a SilPat. This reusable, nonstick surface will improve the efficiency of your kitchen. They are dishwasher safe making for easy clean up. And all of the chefs use these on their cooking shows, so we know they work.

Reduce your tinfoil consumption with a SilPat.

5. Saran Wrap

Saran wrap makes for temperamental food storage. It’s difficult to cut it to size. It leaks. It can only be used one or two times. And it’s made of plastic.

Remove saran wrap from your list of “things that cause me unnecessary frustration,” and hook your kitchen up with these effective, sustainable storage options.

Silicone Lids

Silicone lids are great for covering cups, bowls, and tin cans. They have a better seal than saran wrap, keeping your food fresh for longer.

6. Plastic Tupperware

They say plastic tupperware is dishwasher safe. They say plastic tupperware is microwave safe. But plastic is plastic, and plastic wears out from exposure to high heat.

Plastic tupperware warps, it grows brittle, and above all, it stains. Store spaghetti in your plastic tupperware one time and its pink for life.

Glass Tupperware

Glass tupperware can handle high-heat foods, it’s microwave safe, it doesn’t get worn out in the dishwasher, it’s aesthetically pleasing, and it stays clean.

Donate your worn out plastic tupperware and get some glass. Because leftovers look tastier in glass tupperware.

7. Plastic Mixing Bowls

Mixing bowls need to be microwave safe, dishwasher safe, and fridge and freezer safe. They need to tolerate high-speed hand mixers and cookie scoopers scraping against the sides.

Plastic cannot handle extreme temperatures or metal utensils scrapping against it. A plastic mixing bowl will inevitably scratch, crack and chip. Go take a closer look at your plastic mixing bowls. If you use a plastic mixing bowl long enough, you can’t not get plastic in your food.

Glass Mixing Bowls

A Glass Mixing Bowl is a satisfying pieces of cooking equipment. Glass has a myriad of benefits in the kitchen (dishwasher safe, high heat, no chipping). And the lid allows them to function as handy food storage. If your mixing bowls are not made of glass (and if they do n, invest in a set of glass mixing bowls.

8. Paper Towels

When you wash your hands in the bathroom, you dry your hands with a towel. When you wash your hands in the kitchen, you dry your hands with a paper towel?

Let’s get a hand towel in the kitchen and cut down on the amount of paper going in the trash.

9. Plastic Spatulas

Take a look at your plastic spatula. Is the edge flaking? Do you have a melt spot on the bottom because you left it resting on a hot pan? Plastic spatulas are gross. They bend. They flake! (Plastic for your food?) Plastic is not meant for high-temperature cooking.

Why do we use plastic spatulas? They are needed for non-stick pans. This whole setup is a pain. Non-stick surfaces are easily scratched. They flake. You can’t spontaneously cook with silverware. All of your cooking utensils must be plastic?

Metal Spatulas and Cast Iron Pans

Metal Spatulas are flat out better. They have a thin, hard edge making it easier to slide under food. (If you’ve struggled making a fried egg, it’s probably because you aren’t using a metal spatula.) Metal spatulas don’t bend. Go ahead and scrape that spatula against the bottom of your cast iron. Metal Spatulas are essential for effective cooking. And food tastes better off a cast iron.

10. Packaged food

If you want to do your body and the environment a favor, eat less packaged food. The ingredients are low quality. The packaging ends up in landfills. And the “food” is full of sugar. Even the bars that are advertised as healthy are loaded with sugar.

If you’re craving a snack, go for fruit, nuts, or seeds. Check out our Neutral Eating food recommendations, here.

Stop dieting! Start Neutral Eating.

Why diet? Eating bland, low-calorie food leaves a lot to be desired, and always feeling hungry is not a sustainable lifestyle.

Here’s what we have found to be true:

Flavorful, high-calorie food can be healthy.
You can eat until you’re full and stay lean.
You can enjoy food and support your body at the same time.

Neutral Eating is a practical means to eating healthy. It is not a diet. There is no “eat this” or “don’t eat that.”

Rather, Neutral Eating offers basic food-logic to influence the food we want to eat.

Take 5 minutes to read “What is Neutral Eating?” See if you can resonate with the simple information backing these claims.

Because enjoying flavorful, satisfying food and staying healthy could be as simple as reading this one page.

Here is everything you need to know about eating healthy – What is Neutral Eating?

Up Next: Best Kitchen Gadgets & Cookware

The post Best Sustainable Kitchen Products appeared first on Neutral Eating.

The Best Sugar Swaps

Neutral Eating — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 22:35:37 +0000

Are you trying to cut back on sugar? Then you know cutting the sweet stuff cold turkey doesn’t work. (How many days until you’re filling your pantry with processed “food” again?)

Saying no to sugar is a journey. It takes time to train your mind to overcome a sweet tooth. The experience of genuine fulfillment and satisfaction from nourishing foods cannot be forced.

Luckily we have sugar alcohols to aid us on our journey. These sweeteners are calorie free which means you get to enjoy all the sweetness without suffering the common side effects of sugar.

This makes sugar alcohols a realistic and maintainable solution to eating less sugary, processed foods. Not to mention… the stuff is delicious.

Here is a list of our favorite sugar alcohols with explanations on how and when to use them.

Erythritol

Erythritol looks like sugar, tastes like sugar, and cooks like sugar. This is your go-to white sugar substitute. Use erythritol wherever you use regular sugar at a 1:1.

You can find erythritol in practically every grocery store. If your grocery store has a bulk section, you can probably find it there too.

Erythritol is our favorite sugar alcohol because it takes it easy on the gut. Most erythritol is absorbed by the small intestine and enters the bloodstream. Since it is non-nutritive, the erythritol does not raise your blood sugar and it is not digested. Instead, the erythritol gets filtered out via your kidneys. Studies show very little erythritol reaches the colon where it is fermented by gut bacteria [source].

There is, however, one downside to erythritol. It has a cooling sensation. The alcohol part of the sugar alcohol gives erythritol its cooling effect.

No worries. If you want to enjoy erythritol without the cooling sensation, keep reading because there is a solution. (It’s monk fruit. Monk fruit is the solution.)

Monk Fruit

Monk Fruit is a calorie free sweetener extracted from the lo han guo fruit in China. (Buddhist Monks cultivated the lo han guo fruit 800 years ago which is why we call it “monk fruit.”)

But don’t expect to find Pure Monk Fruit Sweetener at the store. Monk Fruit Sweetener is commonly mixed with Erythritol because it reduces the cooling effect of the sugar alcohol.

Monk Fruit mixed with Erythritol is a sensation. It is as close to sugar as you’re going to get. Use monk fruit sweetener at a 1:1 for sugar replacement.

Brown Sugar

Would you believe it? They can turn erythritol into a brown sugar that is so convincing, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference. Expect that dense, sandy, and sticky consistency you know and love from this brown sugar alternative.

Substitute brown sugar for erythritol brown sugar at 1:1 in all baking scenarios.

Powdered Sugar

Erythritol can also be converted into powdered sugar, and it is shockingly similar to the real thing. It’s light and fluffy, and it makes a mess. Use this powdered sugar alternative wherever you need it.

Related: Try our french toast recipe! (Coming soon)

Stevia

Stevia is a natural, calorie-free sweetener extracted from the Stevia Plant leaf. In its pure form, stevia is not practical for consumption. It is about 200x sweeter than table sugar and bitter [source].

You’ll find stevia mixed with other ingredients to mimic commonly used sweeteners.

Stevia Packets

Stevia packets are the same size, shape and offer the same sweetness boost as other sugar packets. Simply put, they are the best sugar substitute for coffee and tea. Buy stevia packets in bulk to sweeten your coffee at home. We recommend you keep a handful of packets in your car for when you pick up coffee while you’re out.

A minor problem with stevia packets is that the sweetener clumps when added to iced drinks. A simple way to prevent this from happening is to add the sweetener slowly as you stir. Another option is to use stevia drops instead.

Stevia Drops

Stevia drops are liquid sweetener dispensed via a dropper. Use Stevia drops to fine-tune sweetness in coffee, tea, or any liquid that you need to sweeten.

If you’re drinking an iced drink, stevia drops are a win. Since stevia drops are liquid, there are no clumping issues. Stevia drops mix evenly into any liquid at any temperature.

Stevia Mixed with Erythritol

This is yet another 1:1 white sugar substitute. When it comes to Erythritol, you clearly have options. You can use pure erythritol, monk fruit erythritol, or stevia erythritol. Try them all to find your favorite.

Allulose

You won’t use allulose often, but when you do, it’s because you need it. Allulose makes all the difference in frozen desserts like sugar-free ice cream.

Allulose is different from erythritol because, when frozen, erythritol remains grainy and crunchy. Nobody wants sugar crystals in their ice cream. Use allulose for sweet, smooth and creamy desserts. The sweetness is 1:1 with table sugar which makes it an easy substitution.

What’s more, allulose takes it easy on the gut. 70% of allulose is absorbed by the small intestine and is then excreted via the kidneys [source].

Set Up Your Sugar Alcohol Collection

Cutting out processed foods is easy once you set up your sugar alcohol collection for success.

So putting all of this information together, what does your pantry need to look like? What sugar alcohols do you need so that you’re ready for every “I need to sweeten this” scenario (without redundancies or excess)?

The setup below should do the trick. With this sweetener supply, you’re ready to tackle every dessert on NeutralEating.com. You’ll also want to check out our Neutral Eating baking staples (coming soon) to make sure your pantry is covered on all sugar-free baking fronts.