Dear Roopashree,
In our home, we don’t like to throw food.
Is it bad to eat food made a day or two ago, if it has been well-stored in the fridge?
Is it okay to freeze cooked food and eat it after a week?
Thank you,
Ramanika

Eating heavy or rich foods made in high fat and carbohydrates will cause an increase in body fat percentage, which will increase risks of diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. Strictly avoid these foods in your diet.

Incorporate healthy eating patterns like small frequent meals.

Include lots of plant foods like fibre-rich vegetables, fruits, beans, multigrain cereals, etc. This will strengthen your gut and improve metabolism.

Focus on protein rich foods like low fat dairy products, eggs, lean meat, nuts, pulses, etc.

Drink plenty of water for flushing out the toxins and adopt a regular exercise regimen.

Binge eating is harmful.

Although it may seem you have not put on much weight now, eventually the weight increase will be alarming!

More so, your fat percentage will increase and your lipid profile levels consisting of cholesterol and triglyceride will be high.

This leads to a metabolic syndrome which includes obesity, high fat levels, high BP, and high blood sugar levels.

Make a list of all the healthy food options you can cook and replace the unhealthy food options with low fat and low sugar substitutes.

Concentrate on portion sizes.

Make limited portion sizes so that you do not overeat.

True wellness is being in harmony with Nature and its laws so that you can enjoy its blessings and lead a healthy and peaceful life.

A few practices to begin with:

Always eat fresh. Both packaged or stale food are not good for your body.

Try at least one fruit meal in a day if possible.

Eat all seasonal vegetables and fruits, as much variety as you can, but nothing in excess.

Don’t overeat or overfeed. Natural hunger is a sign of good health; if someone is not feeling hungry, we should look at the cause rather than force feeding.

Look at your shopping cart. Does it have more packaged foods or fresh vegetables and fruits? Try making pickles, jams and sauces at home rather than buying the packaged variety.

Salt and sugar should be regulated.

White sugar is harmful. Replace today with traditional forms like khand and jaggery but beware of artificial colouring.

Avoid fermented foods in the evening.

Lastly, avoid meals after 7-8 pm as anything consumed post sunset is hard on digestion; stale food in intestines is the root cause of most diseases.

Food leftovers can be kept for three-four days in the refrigerator. After that, there is a possibility of food poisoning.

Bacteria grow rapidly between the temperatures of 40°F and 140°F.

After food is safely cooked, hot food must be kept hot at 140°F or warmer to prevent bacterial growth.

Within two hours of cooking food, or after it is removed from an appliance keeping it warm, it (leftovers) must be refrigerated.

Throw away all perishable foods that have been left at room temperature for more than two hours.

Foods that carry a higher risk of food poisoning are those that are higher in protein and moisture content, two characteristics that allow certain microbes to grow.

Foods will change flavour when they are in the refrigerator. Some flavours are enhanced, as there is more time for the herbs to interact with the food and/or sauce. Others develop off-flavours, as some of the bacteria continue to multiply.

Wrap leftovers in airtight packaging or seal them in storage containers.

These practices help keep bacteria out, retain moisture and prevent leftovers from picking up odours from other food in the refrigerator.

Immediately refrigerate or freeze the wrapped leftovers for rapid cooling. However, frozen leftovers can lose moisture and flavour when stored for longer in the freezer.

Wash all your vegetables thoroughly before storing them in a cool and dry location or in the refrigerator.

A good rule of thumb is to keep high-ethylene gas-emitting fruits apart from other produce.

Apples, avocados, stone fruits, pears, bananas and tomatoes are a few of the top offenders, with delicate leafy greens being some of the most susceptible to ethylene gas.