Nutritionist tells what foods should not be put in the refrigerator

When storing food, many of us make serious mistakes, thereby not only reducing the shelf life of the product but also depriving it of its nutritional properties.

Nutritionist Svitlana Fus wrote about this on Facebook.

According to the nutritionist, not all foods should be stored in the refrigerator. Many of them will not only take up space there in vain but will lose their taste and appearance, their nutritional value will decrease and their shelf life will be reduced.

So, what foods should not be stored in the refrigerator and why

Potato

Potato starch turns into sugar at low temperatures. This is why potatoes lose their flavor and become sweet. In addition, the water in the potato changes its volume under the influence of low temperature, which makes the vegetable soft and, as a rule, poorly suited for consumption.

Garlic and onions

According to the nutritionist, they simply rot if there is no proper air circulation.

Carrots and beets

They begin to rot much faster when stored in the refrigerator.

Tomatoes

If stored in the refrigerator, they quickly lose their flavor and become watery.

Cucumbers

They become soft at lower temperatures. Cucumbers like warmth.

How to store them?

Vegetables generally like dry, dark places with good air circulation. A wooden box is suitable. It should be remembered that vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes, or peppers are best stored separately from each other. The reason is that ethylene released by vegetables accelerates the ripening of fruits and vegetables in the vicinity.

Fruits

Put only ripe and soft avocados, mangoes, pears, plums, or apricots in the refrigerator. This will give us a few extra days to eat them.

Banana

This is a fruit that ripens at a temperature of 15-20 degrees. Therefore, if you bought them green, do not store them in the refrigerator. Ripe bananas should not be placed there either, as their peel darkens faster at lower temperatures.

Citrus fruits

All citrus fruits are best stored at temperatures above 0°C. Moreover, high humidity can cause them to rot. Also, keep in mind that lemons and limes absorb odors from the environment very easily and quickly. You can put them in the refrigerator to slow down the ripening process, but not for long.

How to store?

Fruits are best stored at room temperature. The main thing is to provide them with adequate air circulation. Bananas, pears, apricots, kiwi, mangoes, plums, and peaches produce ethylene and should be stored separately.

Sweets

Chocolate

At low temperatures, chocolate is covered with a white coating that appears due to the crystallization of sugar. In addition, chocolate quickly absorbs odors from the outside, and probably no one wants chocolate to smell like meat.

Honey

Low temperature will cause honey to start crystallizing. The great advantage of natural honey is that it does not spoil at room temperature. Therefore, it is best to store it in a tightly closed glass jar in a dark place, such as a cupboard.

Bread

If you're going to eat bread within a few days, don't put it in the refrigerator. The low temperature changes the structure of the bread, making it lose its flavor, and the high humidity can make the bread quickly become moldy. How to store it? Bread should be placed in a paper bag and stored at room temperature.

And there is some other important information to remember:

- The warmest place in the refrigerator where the temperature is not stable is the shelves on the door. Therefore, long-term storage products that require lower temperatures are not recommended to be kept there.

- Store food in the refrigerator in tightly closed containers. With little contact with oxygen, finished products retain their nutritional value longer.