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Worst Foods in Your Fridge

10 unhealthy foods that are probably lurking in your refrigerator or freezer right now.

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
WebMD Expert Column

You know you're courting nutritional disaster if you order the fettucine alfredo or double bacon cheeseburger when you're eating out. But what about unhealthy foods right in your own refrigerator? If you're like most of us, it probably holds some basic food products that are adding extra calories, salt, fat, and/or sugar to your everyday diet -- perhaps without you even realizing it.

To make my top 10 list of unhealthiest foods, the products had to be commonplace, and they had to be high in trans fats, saturated fat, sugar, and/or salt. Here's my list:

1. Mayonnaise

It's white, it's goopy -- and it's really easy for the calories and grams of fat to add up when you're slathering on the mayonnaise.

The truth is that regular mayo isn't too bad, if you're talking about a teaspoon or two. But most mayo users spread it on thicker than that. And if you're a true mayonnaise lover, you can rack up 360 calories and 40 grams of fat in a 1/4-cup serving.

Mayo maniacs have three better options: They can use a lower-calorie condiment instead of mayonnaise (mustard, BBQ sauce, salsa, or taco sauce); they can switch to a light mayonnaise (35 calories and 3.5 grams of fat per tablespoon); or they can pare down their portion of real mayonnaise to a couple of teaspoons (contributing 60 calories and 6.7 grams of fat).

2. Soda and Other Sweet Drinks

Sugary drinks are everywhere. Not only are they standard fare in restaurants and vending machines, but the drinks sold in supermarkets are usually sweetened as well (bottled teas, fruit drinks, sports and energy drinks, etc.).

Sweetened beverages are the epitome of "empty calories." Soda, sweet tea, and fruit drinks generally contribute no nutrients, but plenty of calories. And recent research suggests that we don't tend to compensate by eating less when we drink sweet drinks --- so these are truly extra calories.

Plain water is best for hydrating the body, and should make up most of what we drink each day. But there are several beverages without calories, like green and black teas, that not only hydrate but contribute healthy antioxidants. And though skim or 1% milk has some calories, it also has key nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin D, B-12, potassium, and magnesium.

3. Alcoholic Beverages

Not only is it possible to drink too much and abuse alcohol, but from a nutritional perspective, there are definitely better beverages you can have in your fridge.

Alcohol calories are empty calories because the body can't use them as energy. The liver is forced to break alcohol down into fatty acids, which then accumulate in the liver. In fact, fat accumulation can be seen in the liver after a single night of heavy drinking. Liver cells and brain cells actually die with excessive exposure to alcohol.