EXTREME REFRIGERATOR MAKEOVER

Extreme Refrigerator Makeover
Shelf-By-Shelf Overhaul Makes Healthy Living a “Reality”
Harvest gold and avocado green may have been attractive refrigerator colors in the 70s, but just as what’s on the outside has changed since then, the inside may need an update as well. When’s the last time you gave your refrigerator a head-to-toe makeover?
"When good nutrition is your focus, the most important thing is to put healthy foods front and center," explains Lisa Talamini, Chief Nutritionist and Program Director for Jenny Craig, Inc. "You’re less likely to eat what you have to dig for. Spend a little extra money and buy pre-cut veggie sticks, packaged salads, fat-free dips, watermelon chunks, fat-free string cheese and portable lowfat yogurts. You really will eat what’s quickest and easiest to grab."
Here’s how to do your own healthy refrigerator overhaul, one shelf at a time:
Top shelf - Trade out whole milk, sugared juice drinks and soda for fat-free milk, whole fruit and flavored sparkling waters.
Next two shelves - Exchange full-fat yogurt for fruit-flavored nonfat yogurt; regular cottage cheese for fat-free cottage cheese; and sugary snacks for sugar-free Jell-os and puddings. Add fat-free hash browns, reduced fat sausage, and egg substitute … and you’ve got the fixings for a healthy, gourmet breakfast.
Deli drawer - Replace full-fat cheeses with string cheese, jarlsberg, reduced-fat mozzarella or low-fat feta; and standard lunchmeats with lean turkey, ham and roast beef and reduced fat pepperoni and salami.
Produce bins - Stuff them with the freshest fruits and vegetables of the season, including grapes, melons, peaches and berries to satisfy your sweet tooth. Add veggie sticks (celery, carrots, jicama, bell peppers) and pre-mixed salads - then buy fat-free ranch dressing to use as a veggie dip and salad dressing.
Refrigerator door - Stock up with a variety of flavor enhancers such as German, Dijon and Maui onion mustards, capers, roasted bell peppers, fruit-and tomato-based salsas, fruit spreads, barbecue sauces, fat-free marinades, and reduced-fat Caesar, ranch, balsamic and honey mustard dressings.
Freezer - Fill it with frozen fruit bars, fat-free ice cream, sorbets, mixed frozen vegetables (Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Fiesta combinations), and frozen whole fruits to use in smoothies. Toss hamburger meat, ribs and frozen pizza to make room for individually wrapped fish filets, chicken tenders, shrimp and scallops and Boboli bread shells.