This morning I was chowing on some delicious raspberry greek yogurt, getting my protein in, when I realized it had expired a month ago. Naturally, I was repulsed I was eating possibly rotten yogurt. Fortunately, my mother has a different standard than most consumers. She happily ate the yogurt. Her philosophy is: if it doesn’t taste bad, it’s still good…possibly even better.

After a light Internet sweep over expiration dates, I’m beginning to agree with my mother. An expiration date is not the harsh deadline that many people think it is. Businessweek.com published an article titled “Decoding the Secret Language of Food Expiration Dates.” In said article, Vanessa Wong explains that an expiration date indicates the “maximum quality or freshness” of a product. In other words, it may look different or taste a little funny but it won’t make you sick.

It may seem like it’s not a big deal to throw out the cereal you bought seven months ago, you’ll just buy more Frosted Flakes. However, 160 billion pounds of food is wasted in the U.S. every year.  It may be worth it to at least try expired food before you throw it away.

Last but not least, make sure the date your eyeing suspiciously is actually an expiration date. Pack dates, Sell-by dates, and Best if used-by dates are also printed on food labels. Don’t be deceived!