This text was originally published on my former blog typeoneminimalist.com. The website has been offline since 2020. This is an archive version.

How do minimalists eat? They don’t. Article done.

Okay, I’m kidding. We all survive on food and we all enjoy it. Also, everyone has his or her own preferences. So there’s definitely no “right” or “wrong” way to eat. However, I think that applying minimalism to food can make a positive difference. It’s quite difficult, but not impossible. Here’s how I approach it.

To begin with, my nutrition always was more on the healthy side. Since moving out of my parent’s house it has become really pragmatic as well. For the past year and a half, I basically ate frozen vegetables with noodles, lentils or some other side and porridge all day every day. Except when on the go. Then I usually grabbed a packaged salad and a lot of cups of coffee.

What made me rethink those already-healthy habits though, was Lauren Singer’s TED Talk about her zero-waste lifestyle. All of a sudden, I realized “holy sh*it I produce a ton of unnecessary waste with my food”.

It made me question how I could apply my minimalism mindset to food. What I came up with, was a set of guidelines. Not rules but general guidelines around which I base my decisions. With the goal to eat as healthy as possible while minimizing my impact on the environment. Now, what are these guidelines?

1. Cook for yourself

Cooking for oneself is probably the most important point on this whole list. I’ve always done it and I still believe it’s the key to good nutrition. When you cook for yourself, you have full control over what lands on your plate. It prevents you from buying unhealthy, expensive and often times wastefully packaged food.

In my experience, it also makes you enjoy food a lot more. Since I stopped throwing frozen cubes of vegetables into a pan, calling that cooking and instead, put some actual physical work like cutting into my meals, I enjoy my meals much more. Cooking is like an art in this regard – the art of transforming raw ingredients into a full-blown, tasty meal.

2. Keep it simple

As much as I love cooking I’m almost always busy and even if not, my priorities lie somewhere else. So my main principle when preparing food is simplicity. My meals mostly consist of three, at maximum four ingredients – for example, lentils with broccoli and carrot or porridge with banana.

I eat those meals over and over since years now. They’re not very exciting, but they work for me. I like the taste and I don’t have to think about what I will cook – because I already know it.

Indeed, a lot of people like more variety in their diet. Nevertheless, I can recommend everyone to have some staple meals for busy times. It makes life much easier.

3. Unpackaged if possible

Waste. The main reason why I changed my cooking habits. I used to rely purely on frozen vegetables for my meals and I regularly bought pre-packed food due to its convenience. However, these products produce a lot of waste. A bag of frozen vegetables leaves behind a plastic bag every time and a packaged salad a whole plastic tower. The same accounts for small yoghurts or even for a little bar of chocolate. Momentarily, it might not seem much but if you add the trash up it’s really a lot.

We all know the stories about plastic in the sea, micro-plastic and air pollution and of course, a single person can’t save the world. However, every one of us still can still make a difference. The average Austrian, for example, produces nearly 500kg of trash every year. Supposing you’re an average Austrian – even if you reduce your amount of trash by only a fifth, you save our planet from 100kg of pollution. Per year! That’s 8 tons or more in a lifetime – more than the weight of a T-Rex or three rhinos. Furthermore, living more conscious also shows people what’s possible and might encourage them to think about the topic.

In practice, when I go shopping, I choose the foods with the least amount of packaging. Which are mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. So basically, I have no choice but eating healthy for my values. Of course, not everything can be bought unpackaged. Noodles, lentils or soya drinks are still covered in plastic. However, my goal is to minimize my waste and that’s already a big step.

4. Plant-based for the earth

What connects food and minimalism for me as well, is the environmental impact. Plants produce way less CO2 emissions than animal breeding. Eating fewer animal products is one of the easiest ways to minimize one’s impact on the environment. Therefore, I eat basic plant foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes, and nuts most of the time.

I’m not saying you should give up everything you love in life for the environment. Just think about it. I believe we’ll have to make some sacrifices for a better future. Giving up animal products isn’t impossible. If you look up the topic on the internet and you will find tons of eye-opening resources. I really liked this article by the Economist or this one from the Guardian.

5. Watch your budget

Buying more sustainably is great. However, what really determines my purchases, in the end, is my budget. I’m a student and I don’t have a big budget to spend on basically anything. So I’m always trying to cut costs. Luckily, fresh fruits and vegetables are amongst the cheaper things in a store. I also eat out less which probably saves me tens or even hundreds of Euros per month.

So let’s sum this up. How can you approach food in a more minimalist way?

• Cook mostly for yourself and use lots of fresh vegetables and fruits.
• Have a set of staple meals you can cook without having to think about it.
• Base your meals around plant foods.
• Avoid plastic packaging when possible.

Please note, this is my approach. As mentioned in the beginning, there’s no single strategy for food. So take what fits your life and what inspires you from this article. Bon appetit.