New year, new you, right? Here’s how to organise your fridge so you keep healthy eating at front of mind in 2019
If eating healthily in 2019 is one of your New Year’s resolutions, then it’s time to kick start this habit for good.
An organised and clean fridge is ultimately ground zero for healthy eating habits. It has to be organised to make it simple for you to make your best food choices.
Here are eight practical ways to do just that.
1. Set your refrigerator up, smartly
If you do this right, when you look for a snack, the healthiest stuff will be right at eye level and easy to select.
Plan ahead when you’re not hungry, and you’ll be thankful for the healthy snacks that are at eye level when hunger cravings kick in.
See how this fitness guru designed a kitchen for healthy eating
2. Have fruit & veggies easy to access
When you get home from the supermarket, immediately wash and cut up fresh fruit and veggies and leave them in sets of single portion-sized storage containers. This makes it easy to grab your five plus a day – whether it’s for a healthy weekday snack, or to use in cooking.
3. Drink up
Fill a pitcher with water and throw some cut up cucumber, lemons, lime or berries into it and store in your fridge. If you always keep a jug of chilled, fruity water handy in the fridge you can easily up your intake of H20 everyday.
4. Portion out your food
If you buy warehouse-sized containers of yoghurt, for example, portion some out into bowls and cover with plastic wrap to have at your fingertips.
5. Use clear plastic tupperware
Clear plastic storage containers are every organiser’s best friend: They do some of their best work in your refrigerator.
Use them to keep similar items together. This is especially true of condiments that can leak, causing mess all through the fridge. This also helps you to immediately see what you have on hand and what you need to replace – essential for food and meal prep.
6. Store fresh meat together
It’s best to store fresh meat on the bottom shelf of the fridge. As a result, any juices that might leak out of the meat won’t drip down and contaminate anything else.
7. Plan meals
Make it a part of your routine to do one big shop on a Sunday with your meals planned out for the week ahead; you’ll fast notice how much money you save as a result.
Before loading your fresh groceries into the fridge without thinking, consider what meals you might be making for the week ahead – as well as any produce that needs to be eaten before it goes bad.
Then arrange your fridge accordingly. This will avoid food wastage and make life easier when cooking midweek meals.
8. Arrange condiments & sauces together
The best place for these by far is in the fridge door. Keep the most used condiments and sauces towards the front so they’re easy to access.
Keep sauce bottles clean by making it your mission to wipe them down regularly – and at the first sight of mess or an empty jar, clean it or bin it.
This article was originally published as 8 ways to organise your fridge for healthier eating by www.realestate.com.au and written by Peter Walsh