BOCA RATON — The average American household could feed an additional family member with the amount of food they waste, says Teralyn Pilgrim, a zero-food-waste advocate and author of the new book "No Scrap Left Behind: My Life Without Food Waste."

Pilgrim admits she had no idea the environmental and economic impact of food waste, or that she could save $100 a month by living waste-free. But when a story of hungry children filled her with unbearable guilt, she decided to change the way her family approached mealtime.

“The most important thing is to not buy too much food,” Pilgrim noted. “It doesn’t matter how much you learn about upcycling and refrigeration and storage. If things are going bad faster than you can eat them, there’s really not a lot you can do.”

In her new book, she tells the story of her quest to end her family’s food waste — and all the blunders that came with it. Despite finicky kids and a skeptical husband, Pilgrim turned her feelings of guilt into action and created a zero-food-waste kitchen.

“Even if I can’t change how much food the world wastes, it feels good to look at this problem and say — with absolute honesty — that I have nothing to do with it,” says Pilgrim.

Pilgrim defines food waste with Rule #1, the Hungry Kid Test: Would you throw something edible away with a hungry child watching? If the answer is yes, it can go in the compost. If the answer is no, then it’s time to get creative.

Detailing her quest to live free of food waste with humor and relatability, Pilgrim shares how she dealt with the discovery of a five-year-old fish in her freezer, what she did when she accidentally bought disgusting fat-free cookies, and how she handled table scraps despite having a dog as picky as the kids. Addressing myths about how being waste-free is too hard (it’s not) and whether expiration dates mean anything (they don’t), Pilgrim offers clever ways to be resourceful with her nine-step program, six guiding rules, and hundreds of food-related tips that will help readers find their way to saving money and living sustainably.

About the Author
Teralyn Pilgrim is the author of Don’t Dance on the Toilet: and Other Things I Never Thought I’d Say to My Kids. She lives with her husband and three children in Beavercreek, Oregon.