CR.ORG CR.ORG GUIDE TO WGUIDE TO WELLNESS ELLNESS 55Decoding Food Expiration Dates
The average American
throws out almost a
pound of food every
day, according to
the Department of
Agriculture. Why? For one
thing, it’s often hard to
know how long packaged
foods are still okay to
eat because there are
no federal regulations
on date labeling, with
the exception of those on
infant formula.UNDERSTANDING DATES
You’re likely to see one
of three designations on
food products, though
“Sell-By” has a different
meaning from “Best if
Used By/Before” and
“Use-By” (see below).
Typically, manufacturers
use methods such as lab
tests and taste testing
to set label dates,according to a report
from The Natural
Resources Defense
Council and Harvard
University. But those
dates have little to do
with safety. And, in many
cases, the date you
see is conservative, so
if you eat the food
after the date, you may
not even notice a
quality difference.
As a general rule of
thumb, most canned
foods that are low in acid
(canned tuna, soups)
can be stored (unopened)
for two to five years,
and high-acid foods
(canned juices, tomatoes,
pickles) can be stored for
a year up to 18 months,
according to the USDA.
Deep dents (which can
break the seal and let in
bacteria) or bulges in any
closed cans signal thatit’s time to toss them.
Although there are still
no federally regulated
expiration dates on
meat, dairy, and eggs,
these foods have
shorter shelf lives than
nonperishable items.SAFETY STEPS
The best way to know
whether a perishable
food has spoiled? “Trust
your taste buds and
nose,” says CR’s Sana
Mujahid, Ph.D., a food
safety expert. If a product
has been opened, it
may be harder to know
whether it’s worth saving.
But a free app from
the USDA, FoodKeeper,
can help. Simply look
up an item to see how
long it will last unopened
in the pantry or
opened in the fridge.PH
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CR.ORG GUIDE TO WELLNESS 5Keep Your
Metabolism
Moving
Managing your stress,
getting plenty of sleep, and
staying generally active
are all important metabolism-
boosting steps to take. And
building and maintaining
muscle with strength training
is key. “Exercise like running
and swimming promotes heart
health, but resistance exercise
preserves muscle mass,” says
Reyhan Westbrook, Ph.D.,
instructor of geriatrics and
gerontology at the Johns
Hopkins School of Medicine
in Baltimore. Research shows
that your resting metabolic
rate stays elevated by
about 5 to 7 percent for up to
72 hours after a resistance-
training session. Try a class at
your local community center
or YMCA, or check out the
workouts on go4life.nia.
nih.gov. Aim to do strength
training at least twice a week.
And, resist your instinct to
eat less. “When you restrict
calories, you run the risk of
not taking in enough protein,
which can result in more
muscle loss,” says Zhaoping
Li, M.D., Ph.D., a professor
of medicine and director of
the UCLA Center for Human
Nutrition at the David Geff en
School of Medicine. The
Dietary Reference Intake is 0.
gram or protein per kilogram
of body weight, or a bit more for
people ages 55 and older.BEST IF USED
BY/BEFORE
Indicates when
a product is of
the best quality
or flavor. For
instance, crackers
may be soft
instead of crisp
after this date. It’s
not about safety.SELL-BY
A manufacturer-set
date to tell retailers
when to take a product
off shelves—but
it may still taste fine.USE-BY
The last date that
the manufacturer
recommends
for the use of the
product while
at peak quality.
The nutrients in
infant formula
may degrade
after this date.