What Healthy Foods Are in Your Fridge?
By Stephen R. Farris
Is your refrigerator stocked with healthy foods? Chances are that it's not.
In our fast-paced society, we tend to grab whatever looks good at the grocery store rather than take the time to shop wisely and choose more nutritious items. It's so easy to load your cart with highly processed foods, which are usually packed in cans or packages.
Consuming highly processed foods can lead to your risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, or type 2 diabetes. It could also put you at risk of developing certain types of cancer. Do you really want to put yourself and your family at risk by consuming highly processed foods on a regular basis? Probably not.
The best path to go down when it comes to choosing healthy and nutritious food items is to buy more lean cuts of meat, raw vegetables, and fresh fruit. To help you get started, let's take a look at a few foods to stock up the refrigerator with.
Must-Haves
Must-haves are your condiments. Condiments can add more flavor to the dishes you cook. You might consider grabbing a bottle of Dijon mustard to keep on hand. Dijon mustard is great for keeping salad dressings together, as a marinade for meats, or used as a sauce for your meats and vegetables. Additional condiments to stock your fridge with are pure maple syrup, tahini, and low sodium soy sauce.
Proteins
Proteins are your eggs, nuts, nut butter, and tofu. Eggs are a great source of protein, and can be used in a variety of dishes, or simply cooked and consumed by themselves. Nuts are another great protein source, and used as a quick snack. Nut butter can be used for cooking, such as sauces, soups, or toast. Both are a great source of fiber, and each contains antioxidants. Tofu is kind of a Jack-of-all-trades food. Besides being a good source of protein, it also contains fiber, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron, and copper.
Some other foods to consider keeping handy in the fridge are dairy products, such as plain Greek yogurt or plant-based yogurt, dairy or plant-based milk, and cheese. Fresh produce, such as apples, broccoli, basil, cilantro, lettuce, lemons, and limes.
The important thing is to add more healthy and nutritious foods to your family's daily diet, in order to maintain your overall health and reduce your risk of developing certain diseases.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in North Little Rock, Ark.