Because other than food, your fridge may be hosting some unwanted guests that may cause a lot of health problems for your family.
1. Find out who hitched a ride into your fridge: Certain foods, like vegetables, chicken and meat which are not kept in a healthy environment when being sold can harbour some harmful bacteria. These will travel with your food into your fridge and even sometimes cause cross contamination. So give a good thought to what you are putting into your fridge to take your first step towards a healthy life.
2. Find the long lost items: We often put canned foods in the fridge to use for a later day. A lot of these items come with months of shelf life before the expiry date. But sometimes they get pushed back a little too much and we fail to notice that they may have passed their expiry date before use. We often tend to take a 'sniff' and 'taste' test for such items and if they seem fine, we use them anyway. When an item crosses its expiry date, be sure to throw it out. If it doesn't then use your best judgment. When in doubt, throw it out. It may be an on-off case to cause a harmful reaction.
3. Different foods different shelves: Your fridge is designed to hold different foods on different shelves. Raw meat and leftovers go on the bottom shelf, fruits and vegetables on top and cheese and canned items in the center. This allows them to stay closest to the temperature optimum for them.
4. Covert your fridge into your diet ally: Mid night cravings for ice cream, cakes, and other comfort foods can wreck havoc on your diet and health. Start by cleaning out your fridge and let go of the things that can get you into health trouble. Re-stock your fridge with healthy items stored in an attractive manner. Cut carrot sticks, bright fruits, and healthy green salads all stored in snack-able portions will eventually make you reach out for them over other foods.
5. Get your basics right: Your fridge should be under 40 F or 4 degrees. Give it a thorough cleaning every month with baking soda.
