There are many different diets, and freeganism is one of them. You can find out what this rather new type of diet is all about here.
There is no official definition of freeganism, but the different definitions are all pretty similar. Below you will learn more about what freeganism is, the motivation behind it and whether it is legal.
This is freeganism
Freeganism isn’t just a diet, it’s a lifestyle. The origins of it can be found in New York. The name is made up of the English word “free”, which means “free” or “free of charge”, and the word vegan. Translated, it means something like eating vegan food for free or living vegan.
But that is not the main idea of freeganism. People who eat or live freegan usually do so out of a political stance, because they don’t want to be part of the throwaway, affluent capitalist society. They are thus trying to denounce capitalism, the exploitation of humans and animals, overconsumption and food waste.
That’s how you live freegan
So freegans feed themselves exclusively on free food that is no longer normally sold in the supermarket. To achieve this, many freegans go “containers”. However, this is forbidden in Germany – if you are caught, you can be reported for trespassing and theft. But there are also legal alternatives that you can use to eat freegan:
On the one hand, you can use the Foodsharing platform, whose goal is to save overproduced and leftover food.
You could also check with local supermarkets to see if you can have expired or discarded groceries. Maybe one or the other grocery store in your area is already a member of the “Too good to go” app.
If you decide not only to eat freegan, but to live freeganism holistically, the following tips will help:
Use platforms like Ebay classifieds for free clothes and other free things.
Attend clothing swap parties.
Ask family, acquaintances and friends for things that they no longer need or can lend you.
What you should consider if you want to become a freegan
If you want to try freeganism for yourself, here are a few things to think about beforehand:
Consider whether you want to go to containers or whether you would rather use legal alternatives. You can find out more about this here: Instead of containers: 4 ways you can legally save food.
You should also consider in which areas of your life you would like to become freegan. Do you only start with nutrition or do you want to pay attention to your clothing and other everyday items?
Realize this: you never know what groceries and other things you will find or get. So be flexible and consider whether you have options for preserving or preserving food in different ways. More information can be found here: Preserving food: 3 simple methods.
The foods you get can affect how balanced your diet is. It may mean that you need to buy additional foods to ensure a balanced diet.
From the last two points mentioned, what is perhaps the most important: Before you become a freeganer:in, you should think about how you can eat a basically balanced vegan diet and what you should consider and possibly supplement. Vitamin B12 is recommended for vegans, for example as a dietary supplement.
