Anatomy of a Healthy Fridge

Properly stocking your fridge is one of the first—and best—ways to make a healthier life change. The foods you have on hand help you decide what meals you'll be cooking. Once you have them, make sure you're storing them properly so you get the most out of your grocery budget buck. Prepare for healthy-eating success with these tips and strategies.

Keep fresh meat, poultry, and fish on the bottom shelf and in plastic containers so any juices that might escape won't contaminate other food.

Time-Saving Tip: Thaw Meats Faster

Make healthy snacking easier by keeping a bowl of ready-to-eat fruit front and center.

See More: Healthy Office Snacks

Clear out your salad dressing shelf and make a bottle of your own: 2 parts oil, one part vinegar. It’s infinitely customizable, and keeps for months as long as you mix in perishable seasonings—fresh herbs, garlic, shallot, ginger—in a separate bowl just before dressing your salad.

See More: Why Homemade Salad Dressing Is Best

Prevent the inevitable "What is it?" and "Is it still good?" leftovers mysteries: Stick a label on the container and mark with a Sharpie what the food is, plus the date it was made.

See More: Our Best Freezer-Friendly Meals

Cheese is a live culture and needs to breathe. Don’t suffocate it in sealed plastic bags or plastic wrap. Instead, wrap it tightly in waxed paper, sealed with tape. If you’re concerned it will dry out, place the paper-wrapped cheese inside an unsealed plastic bag, which allows ammonia and other off-flavors to escape. 

See More: Top 10 Cheese Tips

The crisper is meant to maintain adequate humidity so produce won't prematurely dehydrate and wilt. Some drawers let you adjust humidity.

See More: Practical Tips on Making Your Kitchen Waste-Free

The indented egg shelf is not the best place for your eggs. The door is one of the warmest parts of the fridge, suitable for the least perishable items (vinegar-based condiments and concentrated pastes). Keep eggs in a middle shelf toward the rear. 

See More: How to Tell if Your Egg Is Old