The 2:2:2 Rule Tip & Trick | We Are What We Eat (2024)

FAQs

The 2:2:2 Rule Tip & Trick | We Are What We Eat? ›

Non-profit organisation Love Food, Hate Waste recommends the 2:2:2 rule. Two hours to get them in the fridge. Two days to eat them once they're in there. Or freeze them for up to two months.

Leftovers can be kept for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. After that, the risk of food poisoning goes up. If you don't think you'll be able to eat leftovers within four days, freeze them right away.

Move the food from the oven to the refrigerator in 2 hours or less. Store in the refridgerator at a shallow depth- about 2 inches- to speed chilling. Eat in 4 days or less (or freeze).

One way to keep your family and yourself safe from foodborne illness is to remember the 2-2-4 rule: Refrigerate within 2 hours. Use shallow, 2-inch-deep dishes for storing leftovers to allow food to cool quickly. Eat the leftovers within 4 days.

“Starting your day with a nutritious breakfast kick-starts your metabolism and provides fuel for your body and brain,” says Lena Beal, M.S., RD, LD, a therapeutic dietitian at Piedmont's Fuqua Heart Center.

“When you eat the same thing over and over again, you run the risk of running low on certain nutrients that may not be present in your daily menu,” Vaca-Flores says.

How to use leftover food instead of throwing it? ›

Turn Scraps into Healthy Meals

What can you do? Try these ideas: Add leftover vegetables or stems from a vegetable — think broccoli stalks — to a vegetable soup, casserole or stir fry. Toss wilted spinach and overripe bananas into smoothies.

Following a low-carb diet also means consuming more protein. Studies indicate that a diet rich in high-protein foods, such as eggs, fish, seafood, legumes, nuts, meat, and dairy results in overall less abdominal fat, more satiety, and an increased metabolic function.

Leftover cooked food may be stored in the refrigerator for up to three to four days. During this time, you can reheat the leftovers to 165 °F. Be sure to return any unused portion to the refrigerator within two hours to remain safe.

Do not reheat foods more than once or mix leftovers with fresh foods. Never taste leftovers of questionable age and safety. If in doubt, throw it out.

Bacteria thrive in temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees and can double every 20 minutes in that “danger zone.” Based on that growth, scientists pinpointed two hours to be the maximum amount of time consumers can safely leave perishable food at room temperature.