What are we filling out refrigerators with at this time?  Can we talk about avoiding heavily processed foods when planning your meals.
How large is your family?  How many meals do you eat daily?  What are your nutrition goals for you and your family?  Based off of this information, you can start to write a plan for what to make during the week.  Now think of the outside aisles consisting of fruits, veggies, proteins and dairy.  The inside aisles are usually the processed food.  Plan your meals in advance based on outside aisles of the supermarket.

The Mayo Clinic shared great information on what we should know about processed food.  According to the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, processed foods range on a scale of minimally processed to mostly processed: “Minimally processed foods — bagged veggies, cut vegetables and roasted nuts — are often simply pre-prepped for convenience.  Foods processed at their peak to lock in nutritional quality and freshness include frozen fruit and vegetables (those vegetables that seasonings are not added to it). Foods with ingredients added for flavor and texture (sweeteners, spices, oils, colors and preservatives) include jarred pasta sauce, salad dressing, yogurt and cake mixes we can enjoy moderately.

Ready-to-eat foods — such as crackers, chips and deli meat — are more heavily processed.
The most heavily processed foods often are frozen or pre-made meals, including frozen pizza and microwaveable dinners.” Do your best to avoid these and make your own dinners and pizza.

Take a look at your nutrition routine now and how much processed food is included.  Now is the time to build a new nutrition routine if your refrigerator is filled with mostly processed food.