Shine OnFruits and veggies stored in the fridge or cupboard kills nutrients, says study
Did you know fruits and vegetables have biological clocks? And did you know that those biological clocks are sensitive to day and night, just like we are?
Scientists from Rice University in Houston, Texas have released a new study that suggest that we should not store our fruits and vegetables in dark cupboards or refrigerators because they need a natural cycle of day and night to produce optimum levels of nutrients and flavour, reports the Telegraph.
"Vegetables and fruits, even after harvest, can respond to light signals and consequently change their biology in ways that may affect health value and insect resistance," says lead researcher Janet Braam, who published her findings in the journal Current Biology.
Also see: Is peeling vegetables really necessary?
Yes folks, we are wreaking internal havoc on our poor, defenseless fruits and vegetables when we do this.
The researchers say that our produce continues to live and grow well after we pick it, changing its physical state by producing different chemicals at different times of day which help it ward off pests or cope with heat and drought.
Some of these chemicals, such as antioxidants and glucosinolates, have been proven to have beneficial anti-cancer properties, as well as other health benefits. And some chemicals have an important impact on taste.
Also see: Veggies that fight breast cancer
The researchers put cabbages, lettuce, spinach, sweet potatoes and blueberries under light for 12 hours a day, followed by 12 hours of darkness, and found that the peak of the beneficial chemical compounds were release in the afternoon before dusk, reports NPR.
The amount of chemicals in cabbage were about twice as high in the afternoon.
"Perhaps we should be storing our vegetables and fruits under light-dark cycles and timing when to cook and eat them to enhance their health value," says Braam.
