10 healthy foods worth buying in bulk [View all]

[NeoGreen]

Last edited Tue Feb 5, 2019, 01:58 PM - Edit history (2)

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10 healthy foods worth buying in bulk
Katherine Martinko, February 4, 2019

These ingredients will keep for a long time.

Bulk food stores are a good solution to the problems of plastic waste, food waste, and soaring grocery bills. But the flip side of bulk-buying means that you'll have ingredients on hand for much longer before needing to restock. For that reason it's important to choose foods that last.

EcoWatch published a list of the best healthy foods to buy in bulk, and I'd like to share some of their suggestions below, as well as a few of my own. I like this list because it challenges assumptions about expiration dates being the final word on when a food is safe to eat. In most cases, a food can last longer than we think, as long as it's stored properly. Still, it's always a good idea to check with a source such as the FoodKeeper app or Eat by Date, if in doubt.

1. Dried beans and lentils
Dried beans and lentils are among those few foods whose shelf life is listed as "indefinite" on the Eat by Date website. This is because their nutritional value does not deteriorate with time, although they will lose moisture after 1-2 years in the pantry and need longer to soak and cook.

2. Rice
If white rice is stored in a sealed container, it can last up to 5 years; if vacuum-sealed, that could be even longer, like 25-30 years. Brown rice goes rancid faster (6-8 months in pantry), but its shelf life can be extended by storing it in the fridge (up to a year).

3. Oats
Thicker-cut oats last longer, up to 3 years if stored in an unopened or sealed container. Faster-cooking minute oats last 1-2 years, and flavored oat packets should be eaten within 6-9 months.

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