Spring Cleaning...Refresh!

Article archived: May, 2010

Judy Dodd, MS, RD, LDN Giant Eagle^® Corporate Nutritionist

There’s something about spring that triggers the idea of starting fresh. But let’s go beyond removing the dust webs and cleaning the windows. This is a great time to check out your refrigerator, pantry and bathroom storage areas, places that may be harboring some aging products. Food, health and beauty items may not age gracefully. The result can be a loss of quality, effectiveness and even safety.

Pull up your shopping list on GiantEagle.com because you are likely to have some items you need to add to your list. Another handy item might be a magnifying glass to check out the small print on the “use by” dates. A garbage and recycling bin for containers are essential. Now, let’s get to it!

A likely starting place is your refrigerator.

Check the dates on the accumulation of condiments and dressings from past holidays or last year’s barbeque season.
Jars of mayonnaise and salad dressings have dates on them that signal that it’s time to replace them.
Are they safe to use if the “use by date” is history? Why would you want to take the chance on a food that’s expired? And forget the idea that the sniff or taste test tells the tale.

The cheese drawer is another place to check.

Unless the cheese has expected mold (like blue cheese), those spots of blue and green mean the cheese is ripe for the garbage.
Forget the notion you can trim away the mold since it is likely to have spread into the interior.

The freezer deserves a look since food pushed to the back or badly wrapped is likely to now be more of an ice ball than an edible item.

Remember that in this age of frost-free freezers, melting occurs that will affect food that touches the sides or is wrapped loosely. Frost forms as the food melts. This means loss of liquid and juiciness, flavor and even nutrients.

The spice rack is the next destination.

A general rule is one year for herbs and ground spices, two years for whole spices.
Check by rubbing a small amount in your hand. If the aroma is fresh and rich, it is ok. But if it takes some work to get an aroma, why would you want to add the equivalent of grass to your food? Toss and replace!

The pantry may reveal some aging foods that need to be used or tossed.

In this day of “natural” or no preservatives some foods have a short shelf life.
That extra bag of chips you bought for the holidays may be on their way to smelling like aging fats…not good!
Whole grains fall into the same category.
Even canned and bottled items have “use by” dates. Quality, flavor and nutrition are altered by age…not enhanced.

When it comes to medicines and first aid supplies, dates become even more critical.

Most products have an “expiration” or “best if used by” date. It may take a magnifying glass to locate the dates but your health is worth the extra effort.

Questions? Contact our registered dietitians at nutrition@gianteagle.com.