The Hidden Calories of our Diets and Refrigerators
The refrigerator is the home of many things and the home of many items that contain a lot of hidden calories. These are items that have zero nutritional value yet seem to make their way into many of our meals. They are typically high in fat, contain unhealthy additives and lack nutritional positives for our diets. In most cases they also lack vitamins, minerals and any essential nutrients for a healthy diet.
The Hidden Calories of our Diets
There are several things that live in just about every refrigerator across the United States:
- Mayonnaise
- Ranch Dressing
- Creams
These are considered some of the biggest offenders and are the most commonly used condiments in homes. There are many reasons why these items should not be incorporated into any diet, whether one to lose weight or one that is maintaining a healthy weight.
Mayonnaise 
Even though this item is simply oil, egg yolks, vinegar, seasonings and lemon juice; two tablespoons alone are equal to 200 calories and 24 grams of fat; 4 grams of which are saturated fats (the bad kind of fat).
Mayonnaise is an item that can make just about anything taste delicious, but it is jam packed full of useless calories and has zero nutritional value to overall health. Don’t go reaching for the low fat or light options either as they are just as bad as regular containing such things as high fructose corn syrup and various other additives to improve flavor.
Foods that may contain mayonnaise:
- Pasta salads
- Devilled eggs
- Creamy artichoke dips
Ranch Dressing
The most commonly used salad dressing, vegetable dip and flavor additive in the United States. It is the top selling condiment for over 20 years and an item that can have people consuming hundreds of calories in minutes; without even knowing it.
Two tablespoons of ranch dressing equals approximately 150 calories, 16 grams of fat and 12 percent of the daily recommended sodium. It contains zero vitamins and only 1% of the daily recommended value (DV) of calcium. When used, people are more commonly to just squeeze from the bottle; meaning even 1/2 cup of the dressing can have over 600 calories on one plate. When used for fries or pizza, the calories sky rockets even more!
Foods commonly combined with ranch dressing:
- Salads
- Vegetables
- Pizza/fries
Creams
All those items throughout the fridge with the label, cream. There are many of them, and many of them are not doing our diets any good. Items that are commonly seen within fridges are:
- Sour cream
- Cream cheese
Sour cream is used for many different things even though it is generally ninety percent fat. Just two tablespoons equals 60 calories, 18 percent of the DV of saturated fats and zero nutritional value. Sure, this is a lot less than mayonnaise and ranch dressing; but it still is an item containing zero nutritional value and an item seen in millions of refrigerators.
Cream cheese is another item many use regularly. Two tablespoons contains 100 calories, 28 perfect of the DV of saturated fats and zero nutritional value. Most restaurants and bakeries will put approximately 4 tablespoons or more onto bagels and breads; doubling the calorie intake and saturated fats. Bagels are already quite calorie heavy and when adding cream cheese it becomes even worse.
As you can see, there are a lot of items our refrigerators contain that have zero value to our overall diets. Many of these items are used to improve the overall taste of other items so it is always recommended to use them within moderation.
Stop slathering them on and actually pay attention to the amounts you are using to make what may seem as dull foods to taste like amazing foods. Their hidden calories can murder any diet if not monitored!