Do you recall where you learned how to store your fruits and veggies? No one ever taught me the proper way, and I wasn't paying much attention to how my mom handled it......so as an adult I just made it up as I went along. If I thought the fruit was hearty, I left it on the counter. If the item seemed fragile, I'd store it in the crisper drawer of the fridge.
Turns out I was off-base on a few things! I always put fresh ginger in the fridge (wrong) and let the peaches sit on the counter until they get too ripe/mushy (wrong). I've never stored my basil in water, and rarely have I used the right type of 'storage bags'.....although I did invest in the "As Seen on TV" Debbie's Green Bags several years ago. I don't recall having good luck with them, but again, it may have been due to my unscientific system.
Have you ever purchased a hard avocado, hoping it would soften up before Thursday night's fajita dinner?
Well, it turns out we can enhance that ripening process by storing the avocado inside of a paper bag along with an apple! Who knew?
Here's a link to "Fruit & Vegetable Storage 101", an article produced in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). You may find it helpful, as I did. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to view or print the handy-dandy pdf chart for easy reference.
Want to know the best way to CLEAN your fruits and veggies? Dr. Greger explains why a home-made salt solution (along with the mechanical action of rubbing) is a great option.....read more here.
Finally, please remember to keep eating those fruits and veggies! The recommendation is that adults consume 1.5 - 2 cups of fruit, and 2- 3 cups of vegetables daily; however, a study released by the CDC in 2015 revealed some very troubling data. During 2007-2010, 76% of Americans did NOT meet the recommended fruit intake, and 87% did NOT meet the recommended vegetable intake. Half the total US population consumed less than 1 cup of fruit and less than 1.5 cups of vegetables daily.(1) Those results are dismal to say the least, especially for such meager recommendations.
Sadly, the kids aren't doing much better. The CDC reported that improving fruit and veggie intake during childhood is definitely needed; 60% of children consumed less than the recommended fruit, and 93% consumed fewer vegetables than recommended during that same time frame.
The CDC says that eating more fruits and vegetables adds nutrients to the diet, reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and some cancers, and helps manage body weight when consumed in place of more energy-dense foods.
We also know that a host of other ailments are relieved or reversed by consuming an entire diet based on whole plant foods - which by the way is the only diet proven to REVERSE heart disease.
Make it a goal to increase those fruits and veggies! (Especially now that we know how to store them).
Blessings to you and yours ~
(1) https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6426a1.htm
Photo credit: USDAgov via Visualhunt.com / CC BY
Photo credit: Aurimas Adomavicius via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-ND
Photo credit: cheesy42 via Visual hunt / CC BY-NC-ND