# Nutrient loss in fresh vegetables over time?



## AlexR (Feb 15, 2010)

Hi,

I generally go food shopping (big shop) once a week.

I often find that I'm using vegetables up to a week or 10 days after I've bought them.

This led me to wondering: how much of the nutritional value of fresh fruit - and especially - vegetables is lost if they are not consumed shortly after purchase?

Presumably, vegetables that are to be cooked won't lose much due to the way they are prepared, so it is more the fresh stuff I'm wondering about.

As for fruit, I just bought a large quantity of apples I put into cold storage in my garage. How will the food value (I'm thinking more minerals and vitamins here) be affected two or three months from now?

Best regards,
Alex R.


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## Robo410 (Feb 15, 2010)

Really depends on the item . Root veg and fruit like apples have always been stored through the winter in northern countries. Veg like cabbage has been preserved by pickling. There is some nutrient loss but we can't eat everything that becomes available all at once. Chilling helps preserve some items. Freezing and or canning also. 

The veg and fruit you buy at a grocery may already be weeks old, depending on where you live adn where it is grown.


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## nikki (Feb 17, 2010)

AlexR said:


> Hi,
> 
> I generally go food shopping (big shop) once a week.
> 
> ...


 
I've wondered the same thing, but it really is impossible to know the answer to the question for one reason.. When you buy "fresh vegetables" from a grocery store, you really never know how long it took those vegetables to get to the store in the trucks they're transported in. You also don't know how long they've been in the grocery store for... 

As a general rule of thumb, I've read (and seen in those "Body Break commercials ) that you should consume your fresh food within 4-7 days of the purchase.


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