Eating well starts with a clean, tidy and well organized storage space. If eating with our eyes is our first perception of craving for a dish or food, the environment in which our food is stored influences our eating style. A clear and clean space makes us want to eat and allows us to better manage our food on a daily basis.
Our fridge is certainly the place where we spend the most time in the kitchen and is often a source of inspiration. For some people it is dangerous because under boredom it becomes an access to snacks. What if our fridge were better arranged, tidied up and organised so that healthy snacks are within easy reach. A colourful and clean fridge, surely this is what you are looking for?
So here are some simple tips that will help you to waste less, better organise your meals and simply eat healthier.
1. A clean fridge!
A fridge is useful, opened, preserving and it gets dirty! Optimal food preservation starts with a healthy space, free of bacteria migration. To achieve this, it is essential to clean your fridge thoroughly once a season and to maintain its condition once a month. A complete check-up is therefore necessary 4 times a year.
Its maintenance simply consists of regularly wiping each shelf with a clean, damp cloth and, most importantly, to clean it as soon as it is dirty with food, because it is a breeding ground for bacteria! For regular cleaning and stains that are more difficult to remove, use white vinegar, no need for chemical agents.
2. Each food in its own place
Often not tidy due to lack of time, laziness or lack of knowledge, the food is no longer visible and often the food at the bottom of the fridge ends up being out of date and wasted!
The fridge is based on optimising the preservation of food. It is designed so that each food has its own place according to the temperature. This is how your fridge is designed:
- Fruits & vegetables: in the drawers that are usually placed at the bottom, in the least cold section, which prevents them from freezing and allows for better preservation.
- Fresh and raw meat/fish: in the coldest area of the fridge, usually at the bottom right above the vegetable drawers. Place them together so that they are easy to find.
- Cheeses, tofu, cold meats and hard-boiled eggs: a small tray is ideal for this category of food, which keeps longer. Fresh eggs can be stored better at room temperature.
- Fresh dairy products (yoghurt, cream, cream cheese…): are best kept in the cooler area, which is usually above the coldest area, over the meat compartment. Avoid placing them in the door as this is a less cold area of the fridge.
- Leftovers and ready-to-eat foods: at eye level and within easy reach, to make them more accessible and to remember to eat them.
- Sweet and savoury seasonings: store them together either in the fridge door or on a middle shelf.
Storing food in transparent glass containers with a nice lid will make the contents of your refrigerator look nicer. Remember that we eat first with our eyes. In addition to helping us see the food contents, they also help to organize meals better, stack things better, avoid ruining the food and preserve it well by preventing bacteria migration.
3. The essentials
No need to spend a fortune, think about recovering glass containers of yoghurts, sauces, bottles… Always remember to transfer food containing a plastic packet into an airtight glass jar! Another way to preserve food is to use beeswax packaging. More practical, more ecological and above all 100% natural, it makes it possible to simply seal the food. It is a smart and sustainable alternative to plastic or aluminium packaging, which is harmful to our health!
Protecting food allows for a longer shelf life and limits external contact for health reasons. It is particularly advisable to keep your ready-made meals, cut-up foods and all foods that are partially consumed in the kitchen in a sealed container
4. Healthier alternatives
An attractively designed fridge makes you want to eat better. Be creative and make your fridge colourful, a little bit lively and full of ready-to-eat foods to encourage you to eat better.
- Prepare ready-to-eat raw vegetables (carrots, celery, cucumber…) by placing them in a glass container with a bottom filled with water. It is beautiful, delicious and a very healthy snack.
- Keep aromatic herbs in a glass of water, like a vase, and give life to a small forest of herbs within reach.
- With over-ripe fruits and vegetables, make smoothies ahead of time or make homemade soups that can be stored in glass containers or frozen.
- Prepare cooked cereals and vegetables ahead of time so that you always have ready-made foods ready to eat. Making healthy food bowls will become simple.
- Home-made birchers in small glass jars ensure a quick and healthy morning meal.
- Ready-made salad dressings can be easily and quickly added to a salad.
That’s it, you are ready and prepared to make your fridge your best friend and a healthy asset!
What do you think?