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Do Diet

Kickstart healthy eating with this simple fridge makeover

Take control of your fridge and you'll see improvements in your diet
Kickstart healthy eating with this simple fridge makeover

Illustration, Alex Mathers.

Do Give Your Fridge a Makeover

Assess Your Leftovers

The key to managing leftovers is to be honest with yourself, says Desiree Nielsen, a Vancouver-based dietitian. “Will you get to leftover food before it spoils? If not, pop it in the freezer.” Store leftovers in clear containers so they’re easy to identify and keep track of. “Use glass for storing microwaveable food and plastic for foods you don’t reheat,” she says. Keep a sheet on the door of your fridge with a list of the ready-to-heat meals inside — and the dates you’ll need to use them by.

Plastic containers for frozen meals.Photo, Istockphoto.

Stash smart grab & go snacks

Making the healthiest choice is all about making it the easiest choice. A study by Cornell University shows you’re three times more likely to eat the first thing you see than the fifth, so keep healthy options in plain sight. “Think of it as though you’re merchandising and trying to sell yourself the nutritious foods in your fridge,” says Nielsen. Here are some snacks to showcase on the top shelf.

  •  Washed and chopped veggies alongside a healthy dip, such as hummus, nut and seed butters or tzatziki.
  •  Plain, low-fat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese next to chopped fruit, a bottle of maple syrup and raw nuts.
  •  A Mason jar of our Overnight Chia Oatmeal. It’s perfect for a fibre-rich, protein-packed brekkie on the run.

Overnight Chia OatmealPhoto, Erik Putz.

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Clear out clutter

Did you know clutter can lead to extra calories? “A packed and disorganized fridge can be overwhelming and can cause you to make unhealthy choices, like reaching for junk food or calling for takeout,” says Nielsen. Marie Potter, director of marketing at Professional Organizers in Canada, recommends sticking to a strict cleaning schedule.

Weekly Toss perishable foods that are less than fresh. Wipe up spills with hot soapy water to keep bacteria at bay.

Monthly Remove everything and wash shelves and drawers (a U.K. study found salad drawers can contain 750 times the safe level of bacteria). Wipe down walls and dust the front grille.

Twice yearly Clean the condenser coil (found either underneath or at the back of the fridge) with a vacuum cleaner. Check the water filter on your icemaker and replace if necessary.

Pro Tip: Keep track of inventory and expiration dates by downloading an app like Fridge Pal or Freshbox.

Garbage binPhoto, Istockphoto.

Store Everything its Proper Place

Did you know that you shouldn’t stash milk in your refrigerator door? Neither did we! Here’s our guide for what should live where in your fridge — and why.

Condiments

Top Spot: The door. Why: Condiments have a long shelf life, so they’re safe even if the door opens a lot.

Eggs Top Spot: In the carton on an interior shelf. Why: Eggshells are porous and can take on fridge odours, but the carton helps protect them.

Dairy Products Top spot: Interior. Why: The temperature is most stable here, which helps protect you from food-borne pathogens. Also, the vitamin A in milk is photosensitive, so avoid reducing its concentration by exposing milk to less light when the door opens.

Fruit & Veggies Top Spot: In the crisper. Why: Some fruits (tomatoes, apples, plums, melons) emit ethylene gas as they ripen, which can cause some vegetables (lettuce, carrots, cucumbers) to spoil. Set the fruit crisper to low humidity and your veggie crisper to high, and they’ll all last longer.

Meat & Fish Top Spot: Lower shelf. Why: To prevent juice from meat from dripping onto other food items. Make sure any meat or fish you’re not planning to use right away is butcher-wrapped and stored in the freezer to keep it fresh.

Perfect Temperatures: 4°C (40°F) or lower for your fridge, –18°C (0°F) or lower for your freezer.

foods that shouldn’t go in the refrigerator: Illustrated fridge with bottles, meat, vegetables, eggs and fish insideIllustration, Alex Mathers.

Stock it like a dietitian

What does a dietitian always have in her fridge? We asked Neilsen to share five items she regularly keeps in stock — a little inspiration for your next grocery list!

Prewashed baby greens. “A great staple that you can toss into scrambled eggs, pastas or soups, or make into a salad in minutes.”

Eggs. “An inexpensive, convenient protein.”

Tofu. “You can crumble and scramble it for breakfast, use it to replace the meat in a recipe or pre-bake it in slabs to use in sandwiches or as a veggie protein for a quick snack.”

Raw nuts and seeds. “Great for snacks and toppings. I buy them in large quantities because it’s economical, and I keep them in my fridge or freezer — the healthy oils are fragile and should be refrigerated if you’re not going to finish them within a couple of weeks.”

Apples. “They’re a grab-and-go snack, and you can also bake them for desserts or dip them in nut butters.”

woman looking in fridge, foodPhoto, Getty Images.

 

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