Eating fresh, good foods is only half the battle of health. But even these "half-hearted" can become a real poison, not a panacea, for your body. After all, any products need not only be properly prepared, but also stored correctly. If yogurt in your refrigerator a little wander, then its use can turn into a terrible food poisoning for an adult, and for children the use of such "yummy" can have a fatal outcome.
People are so accustomed to the amenities that a conventional refrigerator grants, that most of us forgot about the shelf life of products. Put milk on the shelf and everything is fine! Especially convenient is the fact that new models of "smart" refrigerators adjust the temperature regime and keep the necessary humidity. And many products with improper storage do not just lose most of their useful qualities, but their shelf life also changes.
Bread
For reference: it is recommended to store all bakery products( including bread) in the fridge. The fact is that starting from the third day of storage in the conditions of a home loaf of bread, spores of mold fungi appear in the bread, which are now recognized as a carcinogenic factor. The most useful fresh, fragrant and soft bread, but no harm from yesterday's loaf of bread. But if you eat a loaf of bread for a week, it's better to put it in the fridge. Remember that you can not leave bread open, even for a couple of hours, as it will quickly become stale and you will not benefit from it in the future.
Dairy products
It is also natural that all dairy and dairy products must be stored in the refrigerator, and only there. In this case, it is desirable not to store products of this kind for a long time, because the shelf life is not very long. It is better to eat dairy products at once, while they are fresh. And do not forget to check the date of their validity on the package when buying. By the way, all sour-milk products with cultures of living microorganisms( bifido- and / or lactobacilli) can not be physically stored longer than 7-10 days. Pay attention to this when you choose yogurt in the store. Another good advice: the most important condition for preserving dairy and sour-milk products as much as they should, is storing them in a sealed container.
Eggs
With regard to chicken, quail and other types of eggs, they can be stored not only in the refrigerator, but also in a cool place( it is desirable that this place is well ventilated).The shelf life of eggs is quite large, but only if their shells are intact, has no damage and cracks. Buying eggs in the store, you will know exactly the date of their release. But if you still do not trust the suppliers, then just smell the egg - the smell of rotten eggs can not be confused with anything.
Meat products
All meat products belong to the "high risk" product group. They can be stored only by strict rules. In fact, unfortunately, cases of botulism are not so rare. But the main key to success is the right meat. Fresh meat pulp is distinguished by a good smell, elasticity, characteristic for this type of meat color( for pork - pinkish-red color, for beef - red, and for lamb - red-brown color), white or cream fat layer. By the way, it's better to buy chilled meat than frozen. But if you still have to choose a frozen piece of meat, then pay attention to the fact that it does not have a "snow coat" and / or ice bloody influxes. These two facts serve as evidence that the meat was repeatedly thawed and frozen again. In a refrigerating chamber to store pieces of meat of large animals( beef, pork, mutton) it is possible no more than 3-4 days. Chilled poultry meat( not frozen!) Is advised to store no more than two days. As for frozen pieces of meat, at a temperature of -18 ° C in a freezer they can be stored for no more than six months.
A separate case is the storage of meat delicacies in a vacuum package. If the package is still sealed, then they can be stored in a refrigerator for several weeks( pay attention to expiration dates).If the package is already open, store them for no more than four days. The same rules apply to canned meat: 2-3 days of storage, if the can( packaging) is opened.
Fruits and Vegetables
There are separate storage rules for fruits and vegetables. It is better not to store them for a long time, because they not only easily deteriorate, but also quickly lose all useful properties. Use fruits and vegetables of your region more often, because the process of their assimilation by the body is laid down at the genetic level, and in addition, they have fewer chemical additives that extend the shelf life. Take into account the fact that not all vegetables and fruits need to be stored in the refrigerator. Some of them( bananas, citrus fruits, cucumbers, pineapples) will lie for a long time and just on the shelf in the grocery cupboard. And also: to keep berries, carrots, corn, colored cabbage and cabbage longer, they should not be washed at once, but rinsed with water before direct consumption.
A number of vegetables and fruits should not be stored together, next to one shelf. Ethylene, released by one kind of vegetable or fruit in fairly large quantities, accelerates the ripening and decay of other products. Therefore, tomatoes, apricots, peaches, plums, pears, apples and bananas should be stored in different places and separate packages.
Often a freezer is used for harvesting berries and fruits for the winter. But bear in mind that it must be done correctly: first wash fruits and berries, dry them, and then spread them thinly on a special tray or on the bottom of the freezer. And only after that it is necessary to collect already frozen berries and fruits, and pack them into separate plastic bags.