Use your own shopping bag

Buy loose fruit and veg where possible

Eating and drinking in a 'greener' way is not only better for the environment, it is also healthier and often cheaper too – even if you buy organic. It's not easy for everyone to change to more natural food products. It often depends on where you live and what transport you have. But everyone can make some moves towards a healthier and more environmentally friendly diet.

• Buy locally-grown food where you can. If you live in a city go to farmers' markets near you. The food is cleaner, healthier and often organic. It also supports small farmers who have been gradually put out of business by the large supermarkets and cuts down on pollution caused by transporting food from other countries.

• When buying fruit and veg buy it loose and unpackaged where possible. Loose produce is nearly always cheaper and, obviously, is better for the environment. Buy organic if you can afford it. Organic food, particularly meat and dairy products, is generally healthier, tastier and produced more in harmony with the planet than factory-farmed produce.

• Buy at markets rather than supermarkets. On average they are 30% cheaper than supermarkets and tend to sell loose produce rather than packaged.

• If you are pushed for time and you need to shop in a supermarket for the family, bulk buy it online and get it delivered. It means just one van is driving round town instead of several cars belonging to shoppers. It also cuts your costs by stopping you making expensive impulse purchases. For a really ethical online shop, try the Ethical Superstore.

• Stop drinking bottled water. Our tap water in Britain is very good quality and costs next to nothing, so why not use it? We use 2.7 million tonnes of plastic to bottle water each year and only about 10% of the bottles are recycled. Most go on landfill where they take 450 years to break down.

• Stop using the free plastic bags offered at local shops. Get into the habit of taking your own shopping bags with you each time. 

• Recycle any and all packaging that you get in your shopping. About 80% of our waste is recyclable, not just the paper and bottles. Have a look at Wastepoint for what to do with the stuff you can't put in your council recycling bag or box.

• Use up those leftovers. In the UK 6.7 million tonnes of household food waste is thrown out every year. If you’ve cooked too much, save it in the fridge and use it up the next day. Recipes like stews, bubble and squeak, stir fries, curries and omelettes are great ways to use up leftover vegetables and cooked meat. Soups are another great way to use up leftovers and don’t forget to make the stock from meat bones. For more recipe ideas check out Sally Morgan’s 'Leftover Food (Dealing with Waste)'.

• Make sure you keep your leftovers in airtight containers, to make them last longer. We at Moneymagpie are big fans of klippits and Stayfresh bags from Lakeland, both of which can be reused, so you’ll be cutting down on packaging waste as well.

• Try and cut down on the amount of waste you create in the first place. When doing your weekly shop make sure you have a list of all the meals you’re going to cook that week and don’t buy anything you won’t use. Also check use-by dates to make sure you use things before they go off. Shopping like this will also save you a lot of cash.

• Remember to compost your leftover vegetable and fruit peelings, teabags, coffee grounds, egg shells and even cardboard egg boxes as a way to save on the amount of food waste you create, while creating yourself some free compost.

• Grow your own food. To ensure that your produce is organic, save on travelling costs to the supermarket and get the pleasure of watching your food grow, you can try growing your own fruit and veg. Buy seeds at your local garden centre or try online stores like Greenfingers. For more tips on growing your own you can read up on it in the RHS’s 'Grow Your Own Veg'.

• Don’t buy popular fish like cod and tuna as these stocks are over-fished and they are consequently becoming endangered species. Instead, try dover sole, herring, seabass, flounder and mackerel as long as they are fished within the UK, so you’re supporting local fishermen and saving on the pollution and costs from transportation.

• When buying meat make sure it’s free range and organic. The meat will taste better and if you buy organic you won’t have to worry about the chemicals that the animal could have been given.