Health Gem

If you do one thing this week... eat more foods that rot

IF YOU are looking to bump up your intake of fresh, unprocessed foods, one question to ask is how much of what you eat can naturally “go off” in a reasonable length of time.

It's a striking way of thinking about it, and one Michael Pollan alludes to in his book Food Ruleswith the suggestion: "Eat only foods that will eventually rot."

Food processing can help to make foods less appealing for bacteria or fungi by removing nutrients, he argues. “The more processed a food is, the longer the shelf life, and the less nutritious it typically is.”

Of course, there are exceptions – honey and tea can help promote health, yet have long innings in the cupboard – but it’s worth having a think about the durability of the foods you eat.

And if you find you frequently throw out spoiled produce, perhaps you could make them a priority and get more of their goodness in your diet before they go off.