How long can vegetables be stored in the refrigerator and what are the risks of the wrong temperature

Lucia Garcia, an American doctor who studies clinical medicine, says that vegetables have the highest nutritional value immediately after harvest. As soon as they leave the soil, they lose their source of nutrients and energy. To keep their cells alive, fruits start using their nutrients. Thus, their usefulness decreases with each passing hour.

As Garcia wrote on Quora, cooling vegetables prevents not the loss of nutrients, but only spoilage. She also named the optimal storage time and conditions for these products.

According to the doctor, fresh vegetables can usually be stored in the refrigerator for only 2-3 days. At room temperature of 20 degrees, they will lose more than 95% of vitamin C in a week. During the same period, but in the refrigerator, the amount of this vitamin will decrease by 70%.

The best option is to eat frozen vegetables. But only if they were put in the freezer immediately after harvest.