Refrigerator items to stock 11-17

Refrigerator items to stock 11-17

These are food items that will keep in the refrigerator for a week or more. The only exception might be the fresh meats and fish that should either be eaten or frozen within 3 days.

1. milk
2. eggs
3. butter
4. cheese
5. yogurt
6. cottage cheese
7. cream cheese
8. sour cream
9. meats/fish
10. deli meats
11. bacon
12. juices
13. carrots
14. celery
15. lemon
16. mushroom
17. lettuce

11. bacon – Ah bacon.  Everything tastes better with bacon either on it, in it or beside it.  Bacon of course is the cured belly meat from the pig.  It is high in nitrates and sodium and can be very fatty.  For more information on bacon visit Bacon Today.

12. juices – these include anything from orange juice to prune juice.  Generally we would like to have on hand, orange juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice and possibly grape juice.  Use your own judgement but always read the label and keep the ingredients to a minimum. Most importantly, avoid added sugars or sweeteners such as HFCS.

13. carrots – We’ve always been told that carrots will help you see better.  That is because carrots contain Vitamin A or carotene.  But did you know that carrots also are high in other nutrients such as vitamins A, B, C, D, E, folic acid, potassium and pectin fiber which helps to lower cholesterol in addition to several strong antioxidants.  But you only need one small carrot per day to get those nutrients.  Carrots are unusual in the sense that unlike most vegetables, the nutrients in carrots are more readily absorbed into the body when they are cooked or grated.  Carrots are one of the foods that are best bought grown organically, to avoid ingesting poisons from pesticides and fertilizers.

14. celery– Have you ever heard that eating celery produces negative calories?  Snopes.com says it’s true!  It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. According to NutritionData.self.com raw celery has a fullness factor of 4.5, a Glycemic load of 1 and a inflammation factor of 14.  These are good numbers.  Jughandle always keeps cleaned and cut celery in a glass of water in the refrigerator for a quick snack when needed.  FYI eat only organically grown celery or consume up to 67 different pesticides.

15. lemon/limes – Even though lemons and limes have a distinctively different favor they both are great additives in food to “brighten” the flavor with a little citrus acid.  Lemons are in season from May through August and Limes May through October.  Other times of the year their prices are very high.  For more on the pucker fruits go to “the world’s healthiest foods“. Individual Concerns

Lemon and Lime Peels and Oxalates

The peels of lemons and limes are among a small number of foods that contain measurable amounts of oxalates, naturally-occurring substances found in plants, animals, and human beings. When oxalates become too concentrated in body fluids, they can crystallize and cause health problems. For this reason, individuals with already existing and untreated kidney or gallbladder problems may want to avoid eating lemon or lime peels. Laboratory studies have shown that oxalates may also interfere with absorption of calcium from the body. Yet, in every peer-reviewed research study we’ve seen, the ability of oxalates to lower calcium absorption is relatively small and definitely does not outweigh the ability of oxalate-containing foods to contribute calcium to the meal plan. If your digestive tract is healthy, and you do a good job of chewing and relaxing while you enjoy your meals, you will get significant benefits—including absorption of calcium—from calcium-rich foods plant foods that also contain oxalic acid. Ordinarily, a healthcare practitioner would not discourage a person focused on ensuring that they are meeting their calcium requirements from eating these nutrient-rich foods because of their oxalate content. For more on this subject, please see “Can you tell me what oxalates are and in which foods they can be found?”

16. mushrooms – Mushrooms are a great way to add texture and flavor to almost any savory dish.  For many great ideas and recipes using mushrooms try Freshmushrooms.

17. lettuce – there are dozens of different types of lettuce and most of use eat only iceberg and leaf lettuce.  For a culinary change of pace try a mixture of several.  Some good examples are bib, boston (butter), romaine, oak leaf, frisee and chicory.  Add arugala, or watercress for a suprisingly good flavor.  The bad news is that unless you eat organically grow lettuce you will ingest the following:

12 – known or probable carcinogens

29 – suspected hormone disruptors

9 – neurotoxins

and you’ll be contributing  21 honeybee toxins to the world.

More tomorrow farmers,

Jug

Mortars