9 Super Foods You Should Always Have in Your Fridge
The healthiest tables start in the shopping basket. If you're aiming to change something in your body, begin with your shopping list. If you start a diet every Monday and abandon it by Monday evening, something around you is tempting you off track. To stay true to your plan and change your lifestyle in a healthy way, it's essential to surround yourself with healthy foods and make eating them a habit. Here are the super foods you should always keep in your fridge.
Fat-free yogurt: With its high protein content that helps keep you full for longer, use fat-free yogurt at main meals or snacks — but whatever you do, always keep it in the fridge. Add fruit slices and cinnamon for a wonderful flavour, or dress it with spices for a delicious dip.
Peppers: One of the best sources of vitamin C, colourful peppers help give you smooth skin and can help reduce chronic pain. What's more, one red pepper contains twice the vitamin C of one orange. Larger in volume thanks to their high water content and low in calories, they're ideal for snacking. Cut peppers into long strips and enjoy with a fat-free yogurt dip.
Hummus: It's worth getting into the habit of eating legumes as the cooler months approach, and making protein-rich hummus is a great place to start. Delicious and nourishing for snacks, its low glycaemic index raises blood sugar slowly and keeps it steady, while its high fibre helps ease digestive troubles. You can even use hummus as a sauce in your children's sandwiches — make it for them once and they won't look twice at other high-calorie, unhealthy sauces.
Apples: Apples are one of the most practical fruits — available year-round and long-lasting in the fridge. If eating an apple on its own leaves you wanting, enjoy it with almond or peanut butter. If you crave something sweet, slice an apple, sprinkle it with cinnamon and warm it in the oven for a treat that's both delicious and healthy. And drop the habit of peeling apples: the skin is rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals, so it's important to eat this nourishing fruit with the skin on.
Eggs: After breast milk, the egg has the highest-quality protein — so always keep some in your fridge. Use eggs not just for breakfast but whenever you want to make a quick meal. A high-protein menemen [a Turkish scramble of eggs, tomatoes and peppers] made with 1 whole egg, 2 egg whites and plenty of tomato and pepper fills you up while helping nourish your cells.
Hot sauce: To add a little flavour to your meals, just keep hot sauce on your fridge shelf. Research shows spicy foods and sauces help curb appetite and speed up the metabolism. If you're not used to heat, use a small amount.
Mineral water: Never neglect drinking water — but want to try different, healthy drinks? Slice in a little lemon and enjoy plain mineral water. With its high mineral content, it adds a nice variety to your plan and is 100 times gentler on your teeth than diet drinks, whose acids can discolour teeth, cause decay and harm enamel. A small reminder: mineral water and soda are not the same. Mineral water comes entirely naturally from underground springs, while soda is made artificially by adding carbon dioxide.
Fat-free cheese: Rich in protein and helpful for boosting energy and keeping you full for longer, fat-free cheese is an easy choice at both main meals and snacks. Add a little curd cheese to your salads, or make a tasty toastie with fat-free cheese and plenty of greens.
Milk: If you keep finding excuses like "I don't have time for breakfast," you won't need them as long as there's milk in your fridge. Stir it into oats or use it in a delicious smoothie. Milk keeps you full with its high protein and, thanks to its high calcium, helps speed up your fat burning. If milk causes bloating, try alternatives like lactose-free milk, almond milk, hazelnut milk or soy milk.