As the Clean Eating Coach, friends and clients often ask me how long they should keep certain foods.  You know, is it okay to eat eggs after the expiration date or how long can I keep cooked chicken in the refrigerator?

One of the key elements about creating a clean eating lifestyle is focusing on fresh food free of salt, sugar and preservatives. But the reality is that our favorite fresh foods sans preservatives are only good for so long.  So no, we shouldn’t be keeping freshly cooked chicken or whole grains for 10 days!

My motto is, less is more.  To keep food waste to a minimum and to eat what’s fresh, we’re in the habit of buying food and preparing meals that we can eat in one to two days.   For example, last night I made a pot of veggie chili, gluten-free cornbread and a spinach salad.  We had a couple of friends over for a relaxed dinner and conversation.  I sent my friend Lisa home with some chili and cornbread (she’s packing up to move and no time to cook so what’s better than home cooked food?). We’ll be eating chili for lunch the next couple of days but we’ll make quick work of it and use it up while it’s at its optimal freshness.  Tomorrow I’m whipping up a healthy pasta dish using whole grain rice pasta, leeks and sweet potatoes, yum! Again, something we can have for dinner and then for lunch the next couple of days along with a salad but doesn’t involve it hanging around for far too long.

Simple approach — use it or lose it.  As simple as that sounds however, it’s amazing how many people actually get sick from eating food that’s a little too old.  I think we’ve all been there — you look in the refrigerator, you don’t remember exactly how long it’s been there, it doesn’t look or smell like it’s going bad so you partake only to have tummy troubles later on. Sound familiar at all?

Here’s a handy resource I think you’ll like that helps you get to the bottom of “how long can I keep that in my frig and safely feel like I can still eat it?”  A few weeks ago I came across a cool website, Still Tasty, that let’s you type in and find out how long you can safely keep your favorite foods.  Freshly cooked chicken? 3-4 days.  Raw, unpeeled carrots? 3-4 weeks.  Raw eggs in their shell? 3-5 weeks in the refrigerator (in fact, did you know you should always store them in their container, not in the egg compartment in the frig? It’s too warm. And yes, you can go beyond the expiration date on the carton).

I love how the site visually breaks down how long you can store foods in both the refrigerator and freezer and provides some handy tips for the best packaging (airtight container, plastic wrap or aluminum foil).  It’s an easy to use, super helpful resource for staying on top of your favorite clean eating foods.

What do you to do ensure you eat foods within the time frame when they’re fresh? When was the last time you cleaned out your refrigerator and disposed of food that’s past its peak?

Filed under: Meal Planning, Stomach upset, Wasting food, clean eating