Tips and Guides

To make the most out of your food, especially nowadays that prices are escalating to the roof, you should protect the nutrients it contains. The way food is handled, stored, and prepared – from the time it is harvested until it is eaten – will affect its nutritional value. To make sure you and your family get the most nutrients from the food you eat, follow these simple practices:

1. When eating raw fruits and vegetables, eat the skin – if it is edible.

2. When cooking fruits and vegetables, leave them in their skin when possible.

3. When peeling, remove only the thin outer layer.

4. Use just enough water in cooking to prevent sticking. It usually takes only 1/2 to 1 cup of water for most foods. Some nutrients dissolve in water and will be lost if cooking water is drained away.

5. If a cooked or canned food contains too much liquid, reduce by boiling instead of draining off.

6. Cook vegetables and fruits just until tender, in a covered pot. If you do not have a pot lid, a heavy plate may work.

7. Do not rinse rice (except when there is some dirt or bad smell) and pasta before or after cooking, as some nutrients will be washed away.

8. Use fresh or cooked foods as soon as possible, as nutrients are lost during long storage -even when placed in the refrigerator. Be sure to check the “sell by” date when buying food and use by that date or within a few days.

9. When food is stored in refrigerator or freezer, wrap in air-tight plastic wrap or freezer bag, or put in a closed container. Air causes loss of nutrients and flavor.

10. After a meal or snack, do not allow cooked or peeled fruits and vegetables or milk and meat products to remain outside of the refrigerator for long periods. This can cause loss of nutrients. Foods containing milk and meat may become unsafe.

11. If food is hot, cool until you can handle the container – then refrigerate. Hot food does not have to cool completely before refrigeration. Time out of refrigerator should be less than 2 hours.

Source:Virginia Cooperative Extension, Publication Number 348-723, Virginia State University; photo courtesy of www.villa-kuretake.co.jp

Steps:

1. Buy food first. Check your refrigerator for the staples that need to be replaced. Milk, bread, eggs and cheese are all staples that should be available, and should go first on your shopping list. Expensive fresh fruit can be replaced with canned fruit, and macaroni and pasta can replace expensive meats.

2. Plan ahead and show discipline. Looking at the bins of cheeses can make you want to buy more than you really need, so write down on the list exactly what type of cheese you want, add it to your cart and then walk to another aisle.

3. Compare brands and check prices. There is usually a store brand version of most items that is cheaper and of comparable quality to the big name item.

4. Read circulars before you go into the store to see if what you need is on sale. Comparing circulars from different stores might help you get a better deal.

5. Clip coupons for items you normally buy and bring them with you.

6. Buy dry goods and toiletries in larger sizes to save money.

7. Remember what you went to a store to buy, so you do not have to walk up and down aisles. Zero in on the aisle or store you need to buy the item, enter, buy the item, and then leave. Impulse buying will ruin any budget, and when yours is tight, it will just be worse.

8. As you buy, write the prices on a pad that you keep with you. It might even be best to use a small adding machine, pocket size, and as you put the products in your shopping cart, calculate what you have spent, remember how much you have set aside to spend, and when you get close, then stop shopping. Remember, you still have to buy shoes…

9. Know exactly what type of shoes you need. Do not look around at all the different styles. Try on the proper size, and if they fit, then buy it and leave the store. Hanging around, looking at the handbags hanging on the wall might tempt you to buy something you really do not need.

10. Put all the costs into the little adding machine. If you note that you have gone over the amount you can spend, then return an item that you really do not need at the moment, and put it on another list of ‘to buy next time’.

Tips

* If you are going to use a charge card, only spend the amount of money you can afford to pay when the bill comes in at the end of the month.. Set aside this money, and use it to pay the bill. Do not purchase anything more than you have budgeted.
* If you are going to pay with cash, then make sure you only spend the amount you have with you. Anything over, return, and again, put it on your ‘next time shopping list.

Source: www.wikihow.com