Eco-friendly alternatives to packaged snacks

environment friendly and healthy snacks
A packet of chips used to be the obvious choice of snacks in my house parties. Finally some sense kicked in and I was ashamed of the copious amount of packets I threw away every month (FYI, chips packets are non-recyclable, even if you take the trouble of sending it to a recycling vendor).  In my incessant search for eco-friendly, package free, sustainable, healthy and TASTY (important!) snacks, I have found a few things that work best for simple evening get-togethers or house parties.
eco friendly snacks
  1. A  true blue desi knows that there are a million ways to eat the versatile peanuts! Roasted peanuts, Masala Peanuts, chikkis(peanut and jaggery) and so many more! They are healthy, tasty, eco friendly and you can make these snacks at home without having to buy packaged snacks and single-use plastics…
2. Roasted cashews and pistachios anyone? Delicious, super quick and healthy! Perfect for a quick snack. Buy these nuts and dry fruits in bulk and store it in your house, instead of buying small packets of nuts, every time.
environment friendly and healthy snacks
eco friendly snacks
3. If you happen to be a person with half-decent culinary skills, these simple home made starters like a cheese garlic bread, bhel puri etc. should be a cakewalk. Well, almost… Refer to this link for some quick recipes under 15 mins.
4. Samose, Dhokla, Momos anyone? Go to the nearby shop and pack the Samose, Dhokla, Momos in your own container, and shop package free. The shopkeeper would happily oblige. 
In Bangalore, we have Hot Chips outlets that store snacks unpackaged. I carry my own container to pack chips from these outlets.  
eco friendly snacks
eco friendly alternative to packaged snacks
5. Nachos and a DIY dip.Buy some nachos in bulk that come in reusable tin containers. There are so many recipes online for making dips, that are quick, easy and tasty. So if you have some nachos at home, you can whisk some yoghurt and add spices to make an amazing dip, and say no to packaged snacks.
6. Salads and mini-sandwiches- if you are willing to try some innovative dishes in your kitchen, you can make simple salads and sandwiches with a dash of olive oil, vinegar ,lemon or cheese and you are good to go!
eco friendly snacks
If you have more suggestions on eco-friendly snacking ideas that can be an alternative to packaged items, please share in the comments below. Let’s say no to single use plastics and choose better alternatives for our body and the environment.
If we simply become more conscious about what we buy, consume and throw, we would naturally become more environment conscious and choose eco-friendly alternatives in our day to day life.
 
Eco-friendly food and snacks are not just dependent on the seller, it also depends on buyers and consumers. We can decide to say no to packaging, carry our own container or walk up to a restaurant and pack food in our containers, instead of ordering in. 
There is a burst in the number of  brands that sell ‘organic’ and chemical-free products to ensure we don’t feed chemicals into our bodies. But the irony of ironies,is that a lot of these come packaged in plastic and non eco-friendly packaging . These packaging are thrown away and often rot in our landfills, degrade to micro-plastics and end up in our food chain. So, before being carried away by the endless marketing campaigns that promise us healthy lives, we should think for ourselves and choose things that are safe for our bodies and our environment.

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