You wouldn’t dream of ordering a double bacon cheeseburger when you’re eating out – but what about those unhealthy foods lurking in your fridge? Believe it or not, your fridge probably has the most basic food products that add fat, calories, sugar and salt to your diet – and you probably never even realized it.

Which unhealthy foods are you keeping in your fridge? Read on to find out.

 

1. Frozen French Fries

About 3 ounces of these processed potatoes actually contain up to 11 grams of total fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, a whopping 540 milligrams of sodium and about 190 calories, and that’s a small serving (one of the most unhealthy foods ever!)

Substitute with unprocessed potatoes like red potatoes that are either baked or roasted.

 

2. Margarine or Stick Butter

A tablespoon stick butter or margarine contains up to 7 grams of saturated fat, 11 grams of total fat and about 100 calories. Stick margarines in this serving even contains up to 2.5 grams of trans fat (an indicator for really unhealthy foods).

Substitute with olive or canola oil and reduced fat margarine or whipped butter if the oils won’t do.

 

 3. Salad Dressing

Ranch, Thousand Island or Blue Cheese? Two-tablespoon servings of any these creamy salad dressings contain 380 milligrams of sodium, 2.5 grams saturated fat and 12 grams of fat. And people tend to drizzle twice the amount!

Opt for a lighter salad dressing like Hidden Valley’s Ranch Light.

 

4. Ice Cream

A typical American fridge will always have pints of ice cream or ice cream bars, and a small serving will give you up to 310 calories, up to 105 milligrams of cholesterol, 28 grams of sugar, 10 grams of saturated fat and 18 grams of total fat. If you think that’s too much – wait till you know that it’s just for half a cup – and most of us consume one whole cup.

Replace with fresh fruits in nonfat Greek yogurt.

 

5. Mayo

Mayonnaise is easily one of the most unhealthy foods that’s a fridge staple. A ¼ cup serving of regular mayo can rack up 40 grams of total fat and up to 360 grams of calories.

Mayo lovers can opt for light mayonnaise or condiments that are low in calories like taco or barbecue sauce, salsa or mustard.

 

6. Whole Milk Products

If you consume about sixteen ounces of whole milk per day, a week’s value would give you 105 grams of total fat, 315 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,904 calories and 59.5 grams of saturated fat.

However, it’s good to know that most dairy products have lower fat varieties as healthier choices, so opt for those instead.

 

7. Sugary Drinks

Fruit drinks, soda, energy drinks and even sweet tea drinks contain no nutritional value, and add tons of calories in your diet.

You can always opt for healthier drinks like green or black tea and skim milk. However, plain drinking water hydrates our bodies best.

 

8.  Processed Meat

Processed meat products like ham, cold cuts and bologna all contain large amounts of sodium, nitrites and fats. These unhealthy foods have also been linked to colon cancer.

Choose healthier alternatives like unprocessed chicken or turkey meat in your sandwiches. You can also roast your own meat or choose low-nitrate and low-sodium deli brands.

 

9.  Alcoholic Drinks

Calories from alcohol don’t have much use – they can’t provide energy to the body and accumulate as fat instead, especially in the liver.

Consider drinking soda or mineral water with lime or lemon wedges instead, or if you can’t avoid consuming alcoholic drinks anyway – do so in moderation.

 

10. Sausages and Hot Dogs

Another variety of processed food products, hot dogs and sausages are unhealthy foods that contain 680 milligrams of sodium in a two-ounce serving with 7 grams of saturated fat and 23 grams in total fats.

You can always substitute with nitrate-free or low-fat options. Better still, you can opt for chicken or turkey meat and fish in recipes that call for sausages and hot dogs.

It’s a common misconception that the only foods we consider unhealthy are the fatty or oily ones. The fact is, unhealthy foods are virtually everywhere, even in our fridge at home.

Partly due to our indulgence in slathering these products in excessive amounts (we’re men after all, we really can’t be bothered to measure) and partly due to misinformation, we never really considered these foods to be unhealthy until now. So substitute and eat healthier, now that you know.