What’s in Your Fridge?
That moldy leftover chili may not be
the only thing you should throw out. There may be secret agents in
your fridge that hide empty calories, trans fats, and loads of sugar.
You can help yourself make healthier choices if you keep these foods
out of your fridge and freezer.
Flavored Yogurt
Strawberry, blueberry, vanilla -- a
typical 6-ounce serving of flavored yogurt has 3 times the sugar of
plain. Try some plain full-fat yogurt with fresh berries and nuts.
You’ll get less sugar, more fiber, and lots more nutrients. And
full-fat yogurt helps curb hunger better than nonfat yogurt-- and
that may help you lose weight.
Ketchup
You may not think about that
seemingly harmless bottle when you count the calories in your new
low-sugar diet. But imagine that a quarter of it is filled with sugar
-- 4 grams per tablespoon -- and that might change your view. Try a
little spicy homemade marinara sauce with those eggs instead.
Mayonnaise
A tablespoon has 93.8 calories.
The same amount of Dijon mustard has about 15 -- though you’d
probably use far less of it. It’s too tempting to slap on a
sandwich if it’s right there in the fridge, so toss the mayo. Keep
the mustard.
Flavored Non-Dairy Creamer
It’s highly processed and has sugar
or artificial sweeteners and artificial flavors. Ingredients can
include corn syrup, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, sodium caseinate,
dipotassium phosphate, mono- and diglycerides, and sodium stearoyl
lactylate. Just use milk -- you know what it is.
Soda
No surprise here. It’s loaded with
empty calories and has almost no nutritional value. Pitch it: You
can’t drink it if it’s not there. For an alternative, try some
seltzer with a little lemon for flavor.
Hot Dogs
Meat that’s been processed to make
it last longer (through curing or smoking, for example) has been
linked to colorectal cancer and possibly stomach cancer as well. This
includes hot dogs, ham, sausage, and corned beef, among others.
Tonic Water
The quinine that gives tonic water
its unique bitter taste is sweetened to the tune of 124 calories per
12-ounce bottle -- that’s almost the same as cola. If you use it as
a cocktail mixer, try some club soda and lime instead -- it works
well and has far fewer calories.
Gourmet Ice Cream
You know which ones we’re talking
about: small containers, crazy flavors, loads of fat and
sugar -- often more than double the amount of other ice cream. The
best substitute is plain yogurt with fresh berries and granola. But
if you just gotta have ice cream, check the fat and sugar content and
choose a brand that keeps them to a minimum.
Creamy Salad Dressing
It’s often high in fat. And when
it’s low-fat, it’s usually high in sugar or salt or artificial
sweeteners -- and filled with ingredients you can’t pronounce. It’s
easy to dress your own salad with nothing but olive oil, sea salt,
and a touch of vinegar -- simple and delicious.
Frozen French Fries
They’re tough to resist when the
guy at the restaurant asks, “You want fries with that?” Don’t
make it harder on yourself by having those delicious, fat-soaked,
calorie-packed salt sticks in the freezer next to the frozen spinach.
Let’s be honest: If the fries are there, there’s no way you’re
choosing the spinach.
Pickles
Most grocery store pickles are loaded
with salt. But cucumbers, which pickles are made from, are good for
you. They have lots of water, which can help you stay hydrated. They
also have antioxidants and help curb inflammation. Why not buy them
fresh? If you want a little extra zip, mix them with a bit of
vinegar. You could even throw in a dash of salt, but not too much.
Frozen Pizza
A typical frozen pizza is loaded with
calories (1,920 in a typical “6-serving” pizza), saturated fat
(30 grams), and sodium (5,040 milligrams). Keep some berries,
veggies, and soup in your freezer instead: Your heart -- and your
waistline -- will thank you for it.
Beer
If you like to have one beer after
work, you may get some health benefits from it, so it might be worth
keeping around. But if it’s too easy for you to knock back a 6-pack
during a football game, then don’t tempt yourself. Besides the
empty calories, that much alcohol is linked to numerous health
problems. And hangovers.
