With everyone talking about getting your five-a-day, we wondered just how easy that is in today’s economic climate. With fuel prices soaring along with the cost of living, ensuring we get our recommended daily amount of fruit can be that last thing on our mind. You should try to persevere though, so here’s what we recommend for the tough years ahead.
When it comes to fresh fruit and vegetables, its common sense, but you should try to buy only what you will eat. Rather than buying a bag of ten apples, just buy what you need loose. It’s a bit of an obvious one but I forever see people wasting half of a bag.
Another simple thing to remember is to ensure you check everything you are buying carefully. Look out for that bashed plum at the bottom of the bag when you get home – otherwise that’s one plum that goes to waste.
On this point, its wise to pack your bags carefully at the checkout, sure you may get “tutted” at for taking a few extra seconds but at least your fruit and veg will be nice – and remember this; its your hard earned money that’s buying the food so let them “tut”.
This even extends to packing them in the back of the car well. There’s no point taking a few extra seconds at the checkout, getting tutted at, to just chuck them in the back of your car.
When you do get home, make sure you store the fruit and veg correctly. Remember to put lighter fruit on top of heavy ones in your bowl. Often people forget that Banana’s produce large amounts of ethylene gas as they ripen, which can make fruit around them go off quicker.
If your fruit starts to go off a bit early, remember you could stew something like apples or pears, or use soft fruits in home-made smoothies blended with milk – a great source of nutrition and it’ll fill you up.
You should only try to cook what you need. Any leftover veg could be used for soup – I’ve often created bizarre concoctions just so I use that lonely looking vegetable at the back of the fridge.
Speaking of the fridge, you should ensure the temperature of yiour fridge is under 5C. If you over fill your fridge it will take the temperature above this and shorten the life of salad ingredients such as leaves and peppers and soft fruit such as strawberries.
