Leftovers are super helpful when it comes to making healthy meals. They bring a lot of good things to the table, both for our health and our wallets. Let’s break down why they matter:

1. Healthy Choice:

   • Eating leftovers can help you get the right amount of veggies and protein you need each day. Studies show that only 1 in 10 people in the U.S. eat enough fruits and vegetables. So, using leftovers from meals that are full of veggies can help solve this problem.
   • Leftovers also cut down on food waste. Did you know that about 30-40% of food in the U.S. ends up in the trash? That’s like 133 billion pounds of food and costs about $161 billion a year!

2. Save Money:

   • Using leftovers can really help to lower your grocery bills. One study found that planning meals and using leftovers can save families around $1,500 each year.
   • Cooking a lot of food at once helps control how much you eat. When you make big batches of healthy meals and save them, you're less likely to order takeout, which is usually not as healthy.

3. Save Time:

   • Research shows that using leftovers can save you up to 5 hours a week in cooking time. This means you can eat healthy meals without having to cook every single day.

4. Control Portions:

   • Having meals ready to go can stop you from eating too much. In fact, 75% of people say they eat healthier when they have meals prepared ahead of time.

Using leftovers in your meal planning not only helps you eat balanced meals but also supports being kind to the planet and saving money.