CheatSheet.com
By Meg Dowell
Posted January 12th 2018
Resisting the temptation to eat everything in your fridge might be the hardest part about starting a new diet. You can’t eat what isn’t there, though. Tricking yourself into eating healthier may not be as hard as you think. Once you know which foods to keep and which you should banish from your kitchen, healthy eating becomes easier.
How do you know what are the worst foods lurking in your fridge? Here are just a few examples.
1. Fat-free or flavored yogurt
Fat-free foods have a dark side. | iStock.com/nensuria
Low or non-fat yogurts — especially flavored ones — definitely don’t belong in your fridge. Reduced-fat or fat-free foods have to replace fat with something else. According to Health.com, it’s usually some form of added sugar or artificial sweetener. Yogurt is also often flavored with artificial sweeteners, which might actually cause weight gain if you consume them in excess. A meta-analysis published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal suggests regularly using artificial sweeteners could lead to increased BMI and metabolic problems.
Though it might seem backward to suggest full-fat or Greek yogurt over low or non-fat, the quality of your yogurt may depend on what you put in it. Instead of buying flavored yogurt, start with plain Greek yogurt. Some fresh fruit, a handful of nuts, and a teaspoon of honey can go a long way. You can also choose a yogurt alternative that doesn’t have nearly as much added sugar.
There’s more foods that shouldn’t be in your fridge here