Most of us discard food we believe is unsafe to eat, which is a good thing, of course, but it is important that we understand what food expiration dates mean before we dump our food — and our money — down the drain or into the garbage.

Expiration dates on food products can protect consumer health, but those dates are really more about quality than safety, and if not properly understood, they can also encourage consumers to discard food that is perfectly safe to eat.

We are most wary of milk, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, yogurt, and eggs. The following guide from ShelfLifeAdvice.com offers helpful explanations:

* Milk: If properly refrigerated, milk will remain safe, nutritious, and tasty for about a week after the sell-by date and will probably be safe to drink longer than that, though there’s a decline in nutritional value and taste.

* Cottage cheese: Pasteurized cottage cheese lasts for 10-14 days after the date on the carton.

* Mayonnaise: Unopened, refrigerated Kraft mayonnaise can be kept for 30 days after its expiration date or 3-4 months after opening, the company told ShelfLifeAdvice.

* Yogurt: Yogurt will remain good 7-10 days after its sell-by date.

* Eggs: Properly refrigerated eggs should last at least 3-5 weeks after the sell-by date, according to Professor Joe Regenstein, a food scientist at Cornell University. Note: Use of either a sell-by or expiration (EXP) date is not federally required, but may be state required, as defined by the egg laws in the state where the eggs are marketed.

The “Use-By” Date

The “use-by” or “best if used-by” date indicates the last day that the item is at its best quality as far as taste, texture, appearance, odor, and nutritional value. The decline after that is gradual. The use-by date refers to product that has not yet been opened.

The “Sell By” Date

The “sell by” date is not really a matter of food safety, but a notice to stores that the product should be taken off the shelf because it will begin to decline in quality after that date.

The Law

From the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): “Product dating is not generally required by federal regulations. However, if a calendar date is used, it must express both the month and day of the month (and the year, in the case of shelf-stable and frozen products). If a calendar date is shown, immediately adjacent to the date must be a phrase explaining the meaning of that date such as “sell-by” or “use before.”

There is no uniform or universally accepted system used for food dating in the United States. Although dating of some foods is required by more than 20 states, there are areas of the country where much of the food supply has some type of open date and other areas where almost no food is dated.”

Food-Borne Illness

Cross-contamination and unsanitary conditions are a primary cause of food-related illnesses, whether it occurs in the home or in a restaurant, and this is independent of any expiration date. The leading culprits are:

* Improper hand-washing prior to food preparation.
* Storing food at the wrong temperature.
* Cooking food to an inadequate temperature.
* Cross-contamination (raw meats that come into contact with salads, for instance).
* Improper washing of fresh produce.

The Yuck Factor: Common Sense Approach to Food Safety

Aside from any expiration date or lack thereof, if a food item is moldy or if it smells and looks spoiled, err on the side of caution. If it makes you say, “yuck”, throw it away.

Many of us love to eat the crispy, dark pieces that result from cooking burgers, pork, steaks or chicken on the barbecue. There are those who even deliberately burn food for the taste. This is like playing Russian Roulette with a loaded gun for the thrill. Did you know that overheating, overcooking and burning food produce carcinogenic (cancer causing) substances that can increase your risk of cancer?

*Burnt or Overheated Food - produces carcinogenic substances PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons )

*Grilled or Barbecued Food - produces carcinogenic PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) & HCAs (Heterocyclic amines)

*Burnt Food during Pan Frying or Broiling - produces carcinogenic substances HCAs or Has (Heterocyclic amines )

From The National Cancer Institute:

Research has shown that cooking certain meats at high temperatures creates chemicals that are not present in uncooked meats. A few of these chemicals may increase cancer risk. For example, heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are the carcinogenic chemicals formed from the cooking of muscle meats such as beef, pork, fowl, and fish. HCAs form when amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and creatine (a chemical found in muscles) react at high cooking temperatures. Researchers have identified 17 different HCAs resulting from the cooking of muscle meats that may pose human cancer risk.

Research conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as well as by Japanese and European scientists indicates that heterocyclic amines are created within muscle meats during most types of high temperature cooking.

Recent studies have further evaluated the relationship associated with methods of cooking meat and the development of specific types of cancer. One study conducted by researchers from NCI’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics found a link between individuals with stomach cancer and the consumption of cooked meats. The researchers assessed the diets and cooking habits of 176 people diagnosed with stomach cancer and 503 people without cancer. The researchers found that those who ate their beef medium-well or well-done had more than three times the risk of stomach cancer than those who ate their beef rare or medium-rare. They also found that people who ate beef four or more times a week had more than twice the risk of stomach cancer than those consuming beef less frequently. Additional studies have shown that an increased risk of developing colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancer is associated with high intakes of well-done, fried, or barbequed meats.

Four factors influence HCA formation: type of food, cooking method, temperature, and time. HCAs are found in cooked muscle meats; other sources of protein (milk, eggs, tofu, and organ meats such as liver) have very little or no HCA content naturally or when cooked. Temperature is the most important factor in the formation of HCAs. Frying, broiling, and barbecuing produce the largest amounts of HCAs because the meats are cooked at very high temperatures. One study conducted by researchers showed a threefold increase in the content of HCAs when the cooking temperature was increased from 200° to 250°C (392° to 482°F). Oven roasting and baking are done at lower temperatures, so lower levels of HCAs are likely to form, however, gravy made from meat drippings does contain substantial amounts of HCAs. Stewing, boiling, or poaching are done at or below 100°C (212°F); cooking at this low temperature creates negligible amounts of the chemicals. Foods cooked a long time (“well-done” instead of “medium”) by other methods will also form slightly more of the chemicals.

Meats that are partially cooked in the microwave oven before cooking by other methods also have lower levels of HCAs. Studies have shown that microwaving meat prior to cooking helps to decrease mutagens by removing the precursors. Meats that were microwaved for 2 minutes prior to cooking had a 90-percent decrease in HCA content. In addition, if the liquid that forms during microwaving is poured off before further cooking, the final quantity of HCAs is reduced.

One study has evaluated the content of HCAs in fast food restaurants. After evaluating five kinds of meat products from various fast food restaurant chains, the study concluded that there were low levels of HCAs found in fast food meat products due to factors such as cooking temperature and time. The study suggested that greater exposure to HCAs stems from home cooking and cooking in non-fast-food restaurants where food may be cooked to order and where a larger amount of meat is consumed.

Studies are being conducted to assess the amount of HCAs in the average American diet, but at present the maximum daily intake of HCAs in food has not been established. At the moment, no Federal agency monitors the HCA content of cooked meats (how much a person could be eating), there is no good measure of how much HCAs would have to be eaten to increase cancer risk, and there are no guidelines concerning consumption of foods with HCAs. Further research is needed before such recommendations can be made.

However, concerned individuals can reduce their exposure to HCAs by varying methods of cooking meats; microwaving meats more often, especially before frying, broiling, or barbecuing; and refraining from making gravy from meat drippings.

For more readings: The National Cancer Institute

Here are some useful tips to prevent these cancer causing substances from getting into our body:
1. Do not overcook food. High temperature cooking can easily result in burnt food that contains carcinogens called PAHs.
2. Remove any burnt / charred portion before eating.
3. Refrain from making gravy from meat drippings.
4. Avoid barbecuing or grilling, especially those over charcoal. When fat from grilled meats falls down on flames or hot coals, cancer-causing PAHs are formed.
5. Remove the fatty portion of meat before barbecuing or grilling.
6. Use lower temperature in cooking.
7. Turn the food frequently to avoid over-burning.
8. Use relatively low temperature cooking. These include steaming, boiling, poaching, stewing, casseroling, braising etc.
9. Avoid potato crisps and French fries. Potato crisps and French fries contain very high levels of toxic acrylamide.
10. Reduce the intake of toasted cereals or nuts.
11. Do not eat the skin of bread. High temperature baking of bread results in toxic acrylamide.
12. Avoid deep-fried crispy vegetables, e.g. Japanese tempura or Italian fritto misto. Deep-fried foods are coated with carcinogenic acrylamide.

The risk of obesity is increasing enormously these days just as the risk of heart diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and numerous problems and dangers connected to weight gain. It is true that there are hundreds of weight loss methods including diet pills, weight loss supplements, fat burners and hundreds of diet plans, but because of the lack of time and proper nutrition the weight loss results decrease at the majority of people while obesity increases with high percentages every day.

We hear so much about obesity, but what does it really mean? Obesity is caused by the fat excess, which carries the high risk of ailments including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, reproductive disorders, cancer, pulmonary diseases, stroke and osteoarthritis. To sum up, obesity can cause risk to all of our major organs and functions, which have to maintain the balance and proper functioning of our system. Obesity can be determined by an individual’s BMI or body mass index, which includes one’s weight and height. A value of more than 30 is considered obese while an individual with a BMI number above 25 can be included in overweight category.

There are tens of factors, which can cause obesity; one of the main ones is the high consumption of inexpensive, processed junk foods available all over the market. People do not have enough time and energy to eat proper, well prepared meals; they just grab some frozen, processed food in a hurry, which are high in toxins, fat and calories. The lack of exercise and movement can also improve obesity. We travel to school and work by all means of transport, stay at home in front of our computer in our spare time or go out with friends to local pubs and fast food restaurants instead of practicing sports, walking, exercising or just riding the bicycle. Environment and genes connection can also result weight gain, because people react differently on environmental changes, conditions might change people’s genes making them susceptible to gaining weight. The toxins found in our environment can change our hormones into storing more fat and also result changes in our eating habits.

Obesity not only can damage our weight loss effort, provide risk to our overall health, but it can have negative impact on our self-esteem causing psychological effects like depression. Fortunately there are numerous methods to fight against obesity. There are some minor changes everyone should include into their daily plan; eating lots of fruits and vegetables, walking, riding a bicycle or making light exercises for 30 minutes every day can majorly decrease the risk of obesity.