Aishwarya Iyer
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Written By: Aishwarya Iyer | Published : September 7, 2018 3:52 PM IST
Eat right, as well as storing food in the right manner is the key to good health. © Shutterstock
Many-a-times, people think that left-over food should be thrown out, but the best advice is to understand and learn how to store food, estimate the quantity, keep track on what to eat, what to avoid, and use left- over food correctly. Most of us are very particular on saving leftover food from the previous night, with a hope that it will get finished by next day. But, one might just forget about it, and it will grow stale in the refrigerator. If one eats this food without considering expiry and storage, it could cause stomach infections.
Here are few examples of the foods you eat every day, storage frequency and its shelf-time, as explained by Jaee Khamkar, Dietician, Fortis Hospital, Kalyan :
Now, what kind of containers should they be stored in? Plastics, metal or silicon?
Plastic: The toxins and chemicals that leach from plastics into the food, have shown to imitate hormones and cause hormonal imbalances, infertility, early onset of diabetes, hypertension, cancers, especially breast cancer. When plastic is heated, it leaches chemicals 55 times faster than normal. So, avoid microwave heating, even if the container microwave safe .
Silicon: Silicon is not toxic to aquatic or soil organisms, and it is not considered as hazardous waste. If you are using silicon containers, you will have no strange smells or tastes, when you finally eat that pasta you put in the fridge.
Metal: It is not safe to store food in just any metal container, as it might get contaminated. Acids present in fruits such as tomatoes, apples, and pineapples react with certain metals like aluminum. Similarly, when you store pickles in brass containers, the acetic acid, the pickle reacts with the metal, releasing harmful metal oxides or toxic compounds.
The best way to store foods, as per their ideal perishable limit, is in steel or silicon containers. Adopt safe food storage practices, this will certainly bring down the incidences of stomach infections and food poisoning. Here are some tips to help minimize your risk of food poisoning:
Follow good hand hygiene: Wash your hands with soap and water before preparing food. Always wash your hands after handling raw meat.
Avoid cross-contamination: Use separate chopping boards and knives, especially for raw meat and poultry.
Cook meat thoroughly: Make sure meat and poultry are cooked through to the center. Uncooked and undercooked meats spike the risk of food poisoning.
Wash leafy greens, vegetables and fruits before eating them: Bought pre-packaged from the store or from the vendor round the street, thorough washing of fruits and veggies is a must.
Temperature: Don t leave leftovers sitting at room temperature. Instead, put them in the fridge or the freezer.
