Page 186 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

BULK AISLE BEST PRACTICES
1 BYOC. Bring your own container. Cotton drawstring bags
work great for dry goods (nuts, legumes, whole grains),
and glass jars are perfect for liquids or spreads like olive
oil or freshly ground peanut butter. The zero-waste blog
Litterless.com has a state-by-state database of stores that
let you bring containers from home. To avoid paying for
the weight of your container, place it on the scale empty
before filling it up so you can subtract that amount at the
register.

2 Read the label. While you’re busy demonstrating
eco-citizenship, don’t lose sight of the health part of the
equation: Just because an item is found in the bulk aisle
doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Cross-reference the Nutrition
Facts panel and ingredients list on the bin just as you
would for a packaged food.
3 Do the math. There are loads of deals to be had in
this part of the store, but you’ll want to do some quick
calculations to avoid sticker shock at checkout—rosemary
sea salt cashews, for instance, can cost a pretty penny,
whereas plain cashews might be a steal. Maybe it’s worth
seasoning them yourself at home instead? Or take a
simple trail mix of chocolate chips, almonds, and dried
cranberries—you’re paying a premium for someone
to mix those items together, whereas buying the three
ingredients from their separate bulk bins will likely be
where the savings are.

Stuff that Comes from Factories 175

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