Wellness Wednesday -- Healthy Eating Through the Holidays

Organize Your Fridge for Healthier Eating

Trying to eat healthy this season but overwhelmed by all the holiday goodies in your kitchen? Some simple refrigerator organizing steps can make it easier to make better choices during the busy, calorie-heavy holiday season—and on into the New Year.

Here are four ways you can do just that:

Put Healthy Food Where You Can See It

Stock up on pepper slices, carrot sticks, cut fruit, hummus, yogurt and hard-boiled eggs, and keep it all at eye level. You’re three times more likely to reach for healthy food if it’s on the middle shelf, according to research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Go a step further and store healthy foods in clear containers or bags. What to keep in the fridge drawers? “Cheese, luncheon meat, and sweets like pies, sweet drinks, and pudding, and other foods you want to cut back on. “Out of sight, out of mind.”
 

Stock the Fridge with Healthy Drinks

Fill a glass pitcher with unsweetened iced tea or try water with some cut-up oranges or other fruit, mint, ginger, or cucumbers. Seeing the pitcher will remind you to stay hydrated, and adding the flavorings makes plain water more palatable.

Keep Good-For-You Condiments on the Side Door

Have plenty of flavorful, healthy ingredients, such as salsa, exotic mustards, pesto, jarred garlic, roasted red peppers, and artichoke hearts on hand. They’re low in calories and fat and can be used as a base for sauces, dips for sliced raw veggies, and toppings for cooked lean meats or fish.

Don't Forget to Healthy Up Your Freezer

Most people don’t realize that cooked whole grains and beans can be frozen. Store one or two servings in individual plastic freezer bags and stack the bags on top of each other in the freezer. That way, you’ll always have the foundation for a quick, healthy meal.- Diane Umansky