A TikToker says she eats healthier than she ever did before thanks to her dumpster-diving endeavours.
Jillian (@jillian_rn4) regularly shares her finds with her 115,000 followers.
After washing what she finds thoroughly, she sets about creating delicious recipes.
In one of her most popular recent videos, she said: “Something that I tell people is that since I’ve started dumpster diving, I actually think I eat healthier than I did before.”
In the clip - which has received over two million views since it was uploaded last month - she whips up a smoothie using oranges, bananas, pineapple, protein powder, and oat milk.
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She explained: “I drink a fresh fruit smoothie probably every day because the food that I find most is typically fruit that is just a tiny bit too ripe for purchasers. Maybe there’s a bruise or two, but it’s great frozen in a smoothie.”
To go with the smoothie, she cooked a cauliflower pizza that she previously found in a dumpster. When she found it, it was still frozen.
She said: “At the end of the day I had a completely free lunch, other than a tiny splash of oat milk and a little bit of protein powder, and all of it unfortunately was destined for the dump.”
Opinion was split in the comment section.
One viewer wrote: “So much food gets thrown out and there’s nothing wrong with it.”
One viewer who works in a grocery store said: “We honestly throw stuff that's not even expired or bad. so I mean I honestly don't see anything wrong with this. go you!”
But another remarked: “And this is why I DONT EAT AT EVERYONE’S HOUSE DAYUM.”
Another asked why she dives into dumpsters in the first place.
In a previous video, she explained that she dumpster dives to tackle food waste and consumerism.
She said: “To me and my mind and the way that my mind works, it doesn’t seem right for me to go and buy new food if there is perfectly good food, unspoiled, in the dumpster just waiting for me.
“I think another element, honestly, is that it can be kind of fun. A lot of times I don’t find anything… but then when I do find something good it’s exciting.”
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