CLEVELAND, OH (CLEVELAND CLINIC) - With grocery store prices on the rise, some people may decide to skip buying fruits and vegetables since they go bad so easily. But there are ways to help extend their shelf life, like buying frozen.
Bananas should not be in the same bowl as other fruits because they emit a gas that can make everything ripen faster.
“I've actually recommended to a lot of my patients to start thinking about getting things in frozen. And I think there's a little bit of shame, might be the best word, about like, ‘Oh, I really want to have a beautiful cup of berries. Frozen can't be as good as fresh, right?’ You know, it really depends on the season. Frozen foods are frozen at peak ripeness, so you get that same nutrient density,” said Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietician at the Cleveland Clinic.
Another benefit to buying frozen fruits and vegetables is they can stay in your freezer for months at a time.
Kristin Kirkpatrick is a registered dietitian for Cleveland Clinic. She says another benefit to buying frozen fruits and vegetables is they can stay in your freezer for months at a time. If you still prefer fresh though, it’s important to consider the types of fruits and vegetables you’re picking. For example, bananas, berries, and asparagus are known to rot quickly, while apples, oranges, and sweet potatoes have a longer shelf life. How you store them matters, too.
As Kirkpatrick explains, bananas should not be in the same bowl as other fruits because they emit a gas that can make everything ripen faster.
If you still prefer fresh fruit, it’s important to consider the types of fruits and vegetables you’re picking.
“The other thing that leads to fruits and vegetables going bad is going to be moisture. So, we think about this when we're thinking about things like berries for example. You get some strawberries, and all of a sudden, you've got this one that's starting to mold; it's starting to get fuzzy—that's created by moisture. So, when we have that batch of berries that has mold or fuzziness, really unless it's just half the batch, if it's just one or two, just remove those, or remove any of the ones that have even slight amounts because that will still emit spores. The rest of them are going to be perfectly fine,” said Kirkpatrick.
Kirkpatrick says you may also want to skip putting your fruits and vegetables in those bottom drawers of your fridge where they’re easy to forget. Instead, keep them up high and in clear containers for you to see at all times.
