Grocery Shopping Tips: Seasons, Expiration Dates & Temperatures

Series Summary

They say you are what you eat, so don't you think you should know exactly what goes into your body when you sit down for a meal? Unfortunately, due to the fast-paced lifestyle of many Americans, we don't always spend the time understanding what we put into our bodies. In the event that we do find time to cook, many of us make mad dashes to the grocery store where we dodge in and out of moving baskets, screaming children, and our hungry temptations. However, even though you may think that you are eating healthy and nutritious food by buying fresh ingredients, selecting the wrong produce or meat can be just as dangerous as the convenience of fast food. Knowing how to identify fresh produce and meat can add to the deliciousness of meals and also keep you healthy.

In this free video series, learn how to buy ripe and fresh food. Our expert, Christi Ferretti, shows you a variety of tricks and techniques for making sure your food is as nutritious as possible. Learn how to find ripe pineapples, avocados, and tomatoes. Learn how to find fresh mushrooms, garlic, and leafy vegetables. If you are skeptical of bag lettuce, learn how to pick out a healthy green vegetables. So, next time you go to the grocery store, learn how to buy fresh produce and meat today!

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Christi Ferretti for Expert Village talking today about how to pick fresh items in a grocery store. There are three key points I want to talk to you about today; shopping seasonally, checking your dates and checking the temperatures while looking through the store. If you are shopping seasonally particularly in vegetable shopping, you want to make sure you are buying things that are grown at that time of year, at their peak. So in the summertime tomatoes are a great option. You are also going to save money and you are going to prolong the life of that product when it is in your home. Checking the dates on things like dry goods, frozen items, can goods, meats even are going to help you have a little more life on that food when you get it to your house which means you are going to be able to have fresher products, have a better taste and better overall outcome for your family. And checking temperatures in the store. Most people don't notice but in the cold cases there is temperatures from the top to bottom, the side. Not right there in front of you. You take a look when you are in the store anytime a temperature is below 41 degrees, that is going to ensure that that product that you are buying whether it is vegetables particularly chicken and meats are kept at a proper and safe handling temperature for use so that when you get it home, again you are going to have a better overall product. So again, when shopping in a grocery store looking for fresh items you are going to check your dates, your temperatures and you are going to shop seasonal. Thank you very much."