Good Lifestyle

Your mom was right: you should Really eat your vegetables . According to the American Heart Association (AHA), consuming Four and a half cups Vegetables per day can help you avoid a range of chronic diseases, including heart disease, cerebral vascular accidents, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, etc. Packed with vitamins and minerals, they can also help you get all the nutrients you need while maintaining a healthy weight.

Of course, none of this can happen if your vegetables spoil before getting the chance To eat them. Too often, after having passed a fortune to the grocery store, we return to our refrigerators to find poorly stored products that have become moldy, soft or not.

The good news? Experts say there are some simple tips to keep your vegetables fresher longer. Read more for their best suggestions.

In relation: How to safely store fruit to keep it fresh and tasty .

According to American Department of Agriculture (USDA), "very few [vegetables] can be stored safely at room temperature for a long time, and most should be kept in the refrigerator."

They note that the products vary considerably in storage time "from a few days to several weeks", and you must always check the signs of deterioration, including bruises and mold.

Once you have cut or cooked your vegetables, it is even more important than you refrigerate them in covered containers or plastic freezer containers.

The USDA recommends washing all products under cold running water before preparing them to cook or serve. "Avoid leaving fruits and vegetables cut, peeled and cooked at room temperature for more than two hours," they advise.

Choose right containers can also help prevent your vegetables from spoiling, says Lindsay Malone , RD, a recorded dietitian And a nutrition auxiliary professor for the Western University Western Medicine School.

It recommends using containers specially designed for products with different settings on the lid to keep air, humidity and lighting or in.

In relation: 13 worst items to store in your pantry .

If you cannot understand why your vegetables are always spoiling prematurely, there is a good chance that you stock them too close to certain other products that make an invisible and odorless gas called ethylene. Bananas, apples, pears, melons, avocados and tomatoes are all examples of fruit that give off the maturation agent.

Some vegetables are particularly sensitive to ethylene and must be kept remotely. For example, broccoli, green cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, onions, lettuce and peppers are all likely to spoil if they are kept in nearby districts with fruits emitting ethylene.

The more critical drawers of your refrigerator allow you to regulate the humidity and the air flow around your products with the turn of a dial. High humidity drawers are the best for vegetables, including Leafy , Herbs, broccoli, asparagus, and everything that is subject to the withered, while high -ethylene fruits belong to drawers with low Hudity.

In relation: 7 things you should never keep in your refrigerator, according to experts .

Shelley Balls , MDA, RDN, LDN, A recorded dietitian And nutritionist to consume Health Digest, says it is also a good idea to store your products forward in your refrigerator, because when it is in a very visible place, you will be more likely to use it in a timely time .

Kimberley Wiemann , MS, RDN, a dietitian and owner of Kimberley Wiemann Nutrition , said there is a simple tip to keep your salads in a cooler bag longer.

"First of all, before putting the salad in the refrigerator, open the bag or the container and look through to see if there are already pieces of rotten lettuce (or spinach or kale, etc.) . Better life .

"Also, place a dry paper towel in the bag or bottom of the container to help absorb any excess humidity. Additional humidity is what will cause the lettuce trigger faster," she notes.

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As far as possible, you should plan to wash and cut your vegetables just before eating them rather than preparing them well in advance. This is particularly true for high -content vegetables, which can quickly cultivate bacteria.

"Once the vegetables are cut, they are more likely to become faster. If you like the preparation of meals and fresh vegetables are cut and ready to leave, try not to do it more than 2-3 days before to consume them, "said Wiemann.

Bringing your own bags to grocery store can also help you regulate the temperature of your food during a potentially long return trip.

Malone says that it is important to choose isolated bags for hot days and not to waste time getting home: "The longer the products at higher temperatures, the faster it ripe."

In relation: 7 foods that you should never freeze, according to experts .

To preserve certain root vegetables, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, for three months, you should plan to jump the refrigerator. Instead, put them in a paper bag and keep them in a cool, dry and dark place like a pantry, a garage or a cellar. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

Other root vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, beets and radishes, can always be kept in your drawer to believe it with high humidity.

If your vegetables seem to have already exceeded their peak, Malone says you might bring them back to life using an ice bath. This will not help with bruises or molds, but if, for example, you have soft celery or cucumbers in your refrigerator, it suggests giving them a quick dive in cold water.