Avoid pre-packaged fruit and veg
I know as a busy Mum it can be handy to buy pre-cut vegtables and fruit, that look clean and ready to go, but they come with lots of plastic packaging. there are a few factors that might make you avoid buying these foods the next time you shop:
Fresh is always better. When vegetables and fruit are cut, they lose some of their nutrients to the air. The longer the food is cut and allowed to deteriorate, it loses more.
Food waste. Often too much food is cut up in these packages, so you don’t use it all in the meal. If it is not enough, you end up buying two packs and still end up with too much.
It is costlier to buy vegetables and fruit this way.
Higher risk of contamination.
Shorter shelf life.
If you prep your food in advance, your vegetables will be cut/sliced/diced, but you will know how long they have been cut for. Also, if you buy in season/organic fruits and vegetables, they should be free of chemicals unlike out of season and some pre-packaged fruit and veg that have travelled long distance to get to you. Many are stored with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), used to extend the life of this food. Fruit is often sprayed with fungicides to prevent mould; imported fruit and vegetables may be fumigated with methyl bromide to comply with quarantine regulations.
Also, something that may easily get missed. If children grow up seeing all their veg and fruit come out of a package, they will never appreciate where they come from and understand why we need to protect the environment.
If you are game for more:
If you really need to make meal times easier, after you get your weekly groceries why don’t you prepare some of your meals in advance. You can prepare things like casseroles, curries and stews, but you can also prepare some salads and raw food, as long as you store them appropriately, in airtight containers and for a set amount of time as per the guidelines.
You can refer to:
Attracta & the earthly passion team