If there’s one place where good intentions don’t always match up with perfect outcomes, it has to be the produce section. Sure, you know fruit and vegetables are great for you, helping keep diseases like obesity and heart disease at bay, as past research points out. However, an estimated 90 percent of Americans don’t eat enough produce, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
RELATED: A Detailed Guide to Using MyPlate for Healthy Eating
You’re not trying to be a statistic, though. And yet by accident maybe you are — just a different kind. According to one report, American families throw away about ¼ of the food and beverages they buy. Fruit and vegetables comprise about 22 percent of that, and processed produce contributes another 8 percent to landfills.
Cue the guilt.
Now get ready to make a change to improve your health and the environment. According to the report, one of the biggest factors driving food waste is lack of proper storage knowledge, which contributes to food spoilage.
Here are six foods that are commonly involved in the grocery-to-garbage cycle, along with some tips for keeping them fresh long enough to eat instead of toss.
6 Secrets For Keeping Produce From Going Bad
Next up video playing in 10 seconds
Problem: Mushy Bananas
Solution: Hang them up.
A handful of fruits emit ethylene gas to ripen themselves, and bananas are one of them, according to Frontiers for Young Minds. Some people swear by wrapping the tops of bananas in plastic wrap to reduce the amount of ethylene emitted, but that doesn’t actually solve the issue, says Eatontown, New Jersey–based dietitian Bonnie Nasar, RDN.
“Ethylene is produced throughout the banana, not just in the stem, so covering only the stem won’t stop ripening,” she says. “I would say the best way to store them is on a banana hook, where there is plenty of air circulation around the bananas.”
This lowers the amount of ethylene concentrated in one area, which you’d have if you stored them in a bowl, for example. Bonus: Storing bananas separately in this way removes them from other fruit and vegetables, says Nasar, which will prevent faster ripening of that produce as well.
RELATED: 17 Recipes to Use Up Brown Bananas
Problem: Rubbery Celery
Solution: Wrap in aluminum foil and store in the fridge.
Celery is one of those veggies that can quickly go from crisp and crunchy to rubbery and tasteless, but you can lengthen its life by taking a few extra minutes to store it properly.
After separating, washing, and drying the stalks, wrap them in aluminum foil with a small opening. This keeps most of the air out and moisture in but still allows the ethylene gas to escape (as opposed to a plastic bag, which traps it in), slowing the ripening process and keeping the veggie fresh for up to a few weeks, says Nasar.
Problem: Limp Lettuce
Solution: Line the bottom of your refrigerator’s crisper drawer with a towel.
We all grab big heads of leafy lettuce with the intention of serving up light, healthy salads, but a few days go by and suddenly those crisp leaves become limp and soggy. To keep leafy greens as well as other produce fresh in your fridge, line the crisper drawer with paper towels. Another, more environmentally friendly option, Nasar adds, is using washable terry-cloth towels.
Moisture in the fridge is what causes most fruit and veggies to lose their crisp texture and start to soften and go bad. By lining your fridge’s veggie drawer, you’ll absorb excess moisture and keep fresh produce crunchy for an extended period of time.
Same goes for those plastic tubs that greens are often sold in: Line those with a paper towel, too. No matter what you’re using, Nasar suggests swapping your towel option weekly, as it will start to get damp over time and that becomes a mold risk if left in the drawer for too long.
Problem: Moldy Berries
Solution: Soak briefly in hot water and dry before refrigerating.
Particularly in winter months, berries can be a pricey investment, so it’s important to make sure you’re not losing any. Even in the summer, when they’re in high season, you want to make the most of these sweet treats. Although some people use a vinegar bath for berries, Nasar says that it can leave a taste residue even when rinsed, and it’s actually not necessary. Simply giving the berries a hot-water bath of about 12 seconds can inhibit mold growth, research has found.
Another important step is letting berries dry completely before storing them in the fridge, adds Janilyn Hutchings, a certified food safety professional and food scientist at StateFoodSafety, an Orem, Utah–based food safety certification and training program for the hospitality industry. That can prevent mold, keeping your berries fresher in the fridge for longer, she says.
Problem: Sprouting Potatoes
Solution: Store in a cool, dry place.
A big bag of russet potatoes can be a lifesaver on busy weekdays. The starchy vegetable can quickly be turned into a baked potato, french fries, or morning hash browns to feed a hungry family. The downside of keeping a large bag on hand is that potatoes stored for an extended period of time begin to sprout. Keep your spuds ready to eat by storing them in a cool, dry place, as sunlight and moisture encourage sprouting.
Another common trick is throwing in an apple with the potatoes, but Boston-based Erin Kenney, RD, cautions against it, as apples, like bananas, give off ethylene, which can contribute to sprouting.
RELATED: Sweet Potatoes vs. White Potatoes: How Do They Compare?
Problem: Slimy Mushrooms
Solution: Keep them in a paper bag, not plastic.
Mushrooms are a delicious, hearty ingredient to use in everything from a chopped salad and a morning omelet to a stir-fry, but nothing is more unappetizing than reaching in for the vegetable and pulling out a slimy, mushy mess.
Keeping mushrooms meaty and fresh for as long as possible is all about how you store them. When we get veggies home, many of us reach for plastic bags, but for mushrooms, paper should be your go-to. Plastic traps in moisture, which causes mushrooms to mildew; opting for paper allows the vegetable to breathe and for moisture to escape, slowing the rate at which they begin to decay, says Nasar.
No paper bags on hand? You can still keep mushrooms from spoiling by keeping them in their original packaging, says Nasar, but cover with plastic wrap that has holes poked in it for better air circulation.
Roxana Ehsani, RD
Medical Reviewer
Roxana Ehsani, RD, is a Miami-based licensed dietitian-nutritionist, board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, and media spokesperson, consultant, and content creator for food and nutrition brands. She is an adjunct instructor for sports nutrition at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
Ehsani appears as a food and nutrition expert for television stations across the nation and in national publications, including Runner's World, Women's Health, Glamour, and more, and is a contributing writer for EatingWell. She has a strong background in sports nutrition and has worked with professional, Olympic, collegiate, and high school teams and individual athletes, whom she sees through her private practice.
