Selecting Fruits & Vegetables
Today’s grocery stores and neighborhood produce stands offer an attractive array of fruits and vegetables. Becoming produce savvy and learning to be selective will help you make good choices. Before long, practicing these tips will make the best choices easy. Timing is Everything Purchase your fruits and vegetables twice a week to assure you get the freshest available. Vegetables and fruits lose nutrients the longer they sit around — especially vitamins A and C. If something is on sale, ask the produce manager how long it’s been in the store. Sometimes fruits or vegetables are marked down because they’ve been unrefrigerated for several days or are damaged. If you’re buying produce to eat today, buy ripe. For tomorrow or the next day, look for items that need just a little ripening. If you don’t plan to use them until later in the week, buy fruits and vegetables that aren’t yet ripe. (You can ripen fruit more quickly by putting it in a loosely closed paper bag at room temperature.)