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Is zerowaste at odds with nutrition? (slrpnk.net)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/zerowaste@slrpnk.net
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I always eat whatever thing in the fridge is closest to spoiled to ensure I waste nothing. And it’s a race because food is often already on the edge when I bring it home, to prevent waste and also save money (as it gets marked down because of the age).

I found out a friend does the opposite. She eats the freshest veg she has because she says vitimins deplete as the veg ages. She wants to maximise her nutrition.

Is freshness really significant for vitamins? Someone in my family does the same thing. Always eats the freshest food. And as a consequence she is frequently tossing food that lost the competition to be eaten early.

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[–] 9 points 3 months ago* (2 children)

generally, you have to be avoiding particular vitamins / minerals for an extended period to end up with a deficiency. (b12 is maybe an extreme example, but a person could have liver stores of b12 that can last them years of no b12 intake before developing a deficiency!)

so to "maximise nutrition", it's more important to put the emphasis on a varied diet, rather than on eating the freshest of fresh foods.

that could change if you have specific problems with absorbing particular vitamins or minerals, but if that's not the case, i'd say throwing away edible food is being overly cautious.

editing to add: happy cake day, activistPnk!

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  • [–] [S] 5 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    i’d say throwing away edible food is being overly cautious.

    That’s not really what’s happening. People who eat the freshest food first don’t toss edible food. They still wait until it’s rotten before tossing. It’s just that when you eat the freshest food first, more food ends up reaching the spoiled state.

    editing to add: happy cake day, activistPnk!

    I’m afraid it’s a fake cake day to throw off the doxxers (who now know that I was born on one of the other 364 days).

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  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago

    ahh, fair. either way, there's still good nutritional value to be had out of making a big stew / soup / etc out of veggies before they go stale!

    and happy fake day in that case, lol 🍰

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