The refrigerator is one of the greatest inventions of all time. It provides a safe and convenient place to store food, and it puts ice-cold beverages at your fingertips. You already know that your fridge is great for preserving leftovers and dairy products, but you might not know that some food items actually go bad when kept at cold temperatures. Keep reading to find out which things you should never put in your fridge.

Tomatoes

If you don’t want your fresh tomatoes to taste like cardboard, don’t put them in the fridge. Once harvested, tomatoes continue to ripen and develop flavor, but only when kept at room temperature. A big chill stops the ripening process and dulls the flavor. Store fresh tomatoes on the countertop, out of direct sunlight. If you grow your own tomatoes, snip off a bit of the vine when harvesting. The attached vine helps keep the tomato fresh longer and gives it better flavor.

Uncut melons

Chilling whole melons—whether watermelon, cantaloupe or honeydew—takes up way too much room in the fridge. More importantly, keeping these mega fruits in the icebox halts the ripening process, meaning they won’t be as tasty as if they’d been kept at room temperature. Chilly temps also reduce the healthy antioxidants found in melons. Keep these fruits on the countertop until they’re ready to eat. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

Raw Potatoes

Don’t dump that bag of spuds in the crisper drawer! Frigid temperatures alter the starchy complex carbohydrates found in raw potatoes, giving them a sweet taste and a gritty mouthfeel when cooked. For the best flavor and texture, store raw potatoes in a well-ventilated basket or drawer, out of direct sunlight.

Unripened Mangoes

Let whole, uncut mangoes hang out on the counter to ripen. Once they’re ready to be cut and eaten, you can store them in an airtight container placed in the fridge.

Honey

Due to its high sugar content, honey, a natural preservative, needs no refrigeration. In fact, popping that honey bear in the fridge virtually guarantees you won’t be able to squeeze out the golden goodness. When refrigerated, honey hardens and crystalizes, so store it on a shelf in your pantry. If you already made the mistake of refrigerating it, don’t toss it out. Place the honey bottle in a pan of hot (not boiling) water until it returns to its liquid state.

Onions

The chilly temps and high humidity of the fridge wreak havoc on onions, breaking down their fibrous structure, and leaving them mushy and prone to mold growth. For the best flavor and texture, store onions in a well-ventilated, dark, and cool (not cold) spot. An open-weave basket in the pantry is optimal.

Bread

Store your bread in a bread box or on a cabinet shelf, but not in the fridge. Refrigerating bread slows mold growth but makes the bread tough, chewy, and stale-tasting. If you know you won’t use the whole loaf before it goes bad, wrap the excess in freezer paper and store it in the freezer for up to one month.

Green Avocados

Many avocados available at the grocery are green and hard, and need a couple days to ripen before they’re ready to eat. They’ll only ripen, though, if you keep them out of the fridge. The only time you should refrigerate an avocado is when it’s completely ripe but you’re not ready to use it. Then, refrigeration will give you an additional day or two before it goes bad.

Fresh Garlic Bulbs

Nothing adds flavor to Italian dishes quite like fresh garlic, but if you store the bulbs in the fridge, don’t be surprised if they sprout bitter green shoots. Another danger, garlic bulbs are prone to mold growth in the humid conditions of the fridge. For the best taste, store fresh garlic in a dark, well-ventilated spot. You can store leftover minced garlic in the fridge for a day or two, but the flavor can’t compare to freshly minced cloves.

Open Food Cans

Once opened, don’t store a partially filled food can in the refrigerator. While the cold temps will keep the product from spoiling for a little while, the food can develop a metallic taste due to metal acids that leach into the food from the can itself. The best way to store unused canned food, is to transfer it to a separate airtight plastic food container and then refrigerate.

Unripe Bananas

Like other fruits on this list, bananas will continue to ripen at room temperature—but when put in the fridge, the ripening process stops. Store unripe bananas on the countertop, out of direct sunlight. You can put a fully ripe banana in the fridge for a couple of days, but don’t be alarmed when it turns black. The blackening occurs due to the banana skin’s ethylene content, which undergoes a chemical change when subjected to cold temperatures.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is stable at room temperature for up to two years, so there’s no need to store it in the fridge where it becomes hard and virtually impossible to scoop out. Unlike some oils that remain liquid at cool temps, coconut oil contains a high percentage of saturated fats, which causes it to solidify in the refrigerator.

Basil

To keep your basil fresh, leave it on the counter with its stems submerged in a cup or vase of water as you would with cut flowers. If you were to stick basil in the fridge it would absorb the smells of the other foods, and its leaves would turn black.

Cucumbers

The saying might be “cool as a cucumber,” but cukes are actually quite sensitive to the cold. The crisp greens fare best when left at room temperature.

Peaches

Unripened peaches should be left on the counter until they are slightly soft and have a sweet fragrance. After that you can keep them in the refrigerator, but only for a day or two. Juicy peaches dehydrate when left in the fridge for an extended period.

Coffee

If you want to savor your cup of aromatic coffee in the morning, don’t store the beans in the fridge. An open package of coffee is subject to condensation in the cold temps of the fridge, which zaps flavor. Additionally, fresh grounds will absorb the odors of other refrigerated foods, making your coffee taste off. For the best tasting cup of Joe, store your coffee in an airtight container at room temperature in a dark place, such as inside a cabinet.

Holistic heart doc Joel K. Kahn, MD, shares what doctors may not learn in medical school about heart disease prevention.

The most powerful medicine: food

I’ve personally followed a plant-based diet for decades, but when the medical literature started reporting that this eating style helped reduce the rate of heart attacks, I began recommending it to patients. Many of them don’t go meat-free, but they still benefit from the advice that follows. 

Have at least five cups of veggies a day

Two of the largest studies examining how eating habits affect chronic disease have found that people who ate eight or more servings a day were 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack or stroke than people who consumed one and a half servings or fewer. So eat at least five cups of fruits and vegetables a day. My patients find it easy—and tasty—to drink some of their servings by making a greens-based juice (with fruit) in a blender.

If you must eat meat, eat it naked

Forgoing animal products can be a drastic change. At the very least, avoid processed meat like hot dogs, sausages, and bacon. Harvard researchers found that every 1.8 ounces of processed meat eaten more than once a week raises heart disease risk by 42 percent. In addition, eat meat that’s as “naked” as possible—no antibiotics, hormones, or hidden additives. Opt for grass-fed animals, which have more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than grain-fed animals.

Drink three cups of tea a day

Green, black, and oolong varieties help reduce levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides, regulate levels of blood sugar, and soothe inflammation.

Choose SMASH fish

SMASH fish are: sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon, and herring. They are your best sources of heart-healthy omega-3s (known to reduce inflammation, heart rhythm disturbances, triglyceride levels, and blood pressure). They are also less likely to be contaminated with toxins than other types. 

Fast 11 hours every night

The body needs this break to repair metabolic functions. Skipping this fast—say, with a midnight snack—can cause a rise in inflammation, blood sugar, blood fats, and cell aging. Put a mental “closed” sign on your kitchen after dinner, ideally around 7 p.m.

Clean with kitchen staples

Many cleaning products—even some “green” ones—contain chemicals that have been linked to stroke and high blood pressure. When possible, clean your kitchen with items you’d cook with, such as white vinegar, lemon, baking soda, and cornstarch.

Toss your plastic containers

Chemicals in plastic, such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, leach into the food in these containers. If enough residue accumulates in your body, it can throw off your hormonal system. Studies have linked levels of BPA in people’s urine to heart disease risks. More than 15 medical papers link phthalates to cardiovascular issues. Use glass, ceramic, or stainless steel storage containers instead. 

Take vitamin “Y” every week

Yoga has a direct and powerful impact on your heart. Patients with atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm disturbance, who did yoga for three months had fewer episodes. In another study, when 30 people with high blood pressure practiced yoga for just five to seven minutes twice a day for two months, they had a lower resting heart rate and blood pressure compared with a control group who didn’t do the exercises.

Practice active acts of kindness

People who spend more time being sedentary are 73 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, a cluster of problems that raise heart disease risk. One way to motivate yourself to get in small bouts of physical activity: Do them for someone else. While you’re out shoveling snow, clear your neighbor’s walkway too. Instead of sitting down on the bus, give your seat to a fellow passenger.

Open your windows

The air inside your home might be even more polluted than the air in the world’s dirtiest cities. There are dozens of possible sources—hairspray, candles, fumes from the nonstick coating on your cookware. While any might be harmless in small amounts, the caustic brew they create when mixed together can turn up inflammation, raise blood pressure, and harden arteries. Open windows on milder days, and use a fan to circulate the air to reduce indoor air pollution levels. 

Sit in a sauna

We have all seen signs by saunas and steam rooms advising precaution for heart patients. But Japanese researchers have found that a special kind called an infrared sauna, which penetrates the skin with more energy than a typical dry sauna, can help the heart. Heart patients treated with this therapy at least twice a week had half the rate of hospitalization and death of a control group over a five-year period. It may improve the function of the cells that line the arteries. If you can’t find an infrared sauna, you may benefit from a traditional dry sauna at your typical gym.

List something you’re grateful for every day

When University of Connecticut psychologist Glenn Affleck interviewed 287 people recovering from a heart attack, he discovered that people who found a benefit from their illness were less likely to suffer another within eight years. Each day, write down one or more things you are grateful for, and read the journal once a week. 

Not only will these foods help protect your gut—they all happen to be delicious and nutritious additions to your diet. Check out these wonderful foods that cleanse your colon.

What does your colon do, anyway?

Though your small intestine does the heavy lifting when it comes to digesting food, the colon’s function is to suck all the moisture out of that food, says Michael A. Valente, DO, a colorectal surgeon at Cleveland Clinic. “Your colon draws the water back into your system to hydrate you,” he adds. And yes, it also stores and helps eliminate waste—a good reason to seek out these foods to cleanse your colon.

Your diet matters

Just like your food choices impact your heart, brain, and muscles, they also affect your colon. “In order for your colon to be healthy, you need to put the right foods in,” says Dr. Valente

Fill up on salmon, sardines, and trout

For people who have colorectal cancer, those who increased their intake of omega 3s from fatty fish like salmon, sardines, and trout had a lower risk of mortality compared to those who avoided fish, finds research published in the journal Gut. Omega 3 fats may stop cancer cell growth and even promote the death of colon cancer cells.  

Load up on quinoa and brown rice

Your focus should be on whole foods as close to the state in which Mother Nature made them as possible. Minimally processed whole grains like brown rice, oats, and quinoa, are a great place to start, says Dr. Valente. These are packed with fiber, which is why they’re among the top foods that cleanse your colon; eating three servings daily lowers colorectal cancer risk by 17 percent, per a 2017 report from the Harvard T Chan School of Public Health.

Add beans and lentils

Legumes like beans and lentils are also loaded with fiber. People who eat the most fiber from vegetable sources like legumes are 35 percent less likely to have colon polyps—a small clump of cells in the lining of the colon that can develop into cancer—compared to those who eat the least. These legumes may also contain cancer-protective phytochemicals, researchers say.

Load up on broccoli, cauliflower, and kale

Talk about foods that cleanse your colon: Some of the best sources of fiber come in the veggie form. One study found that eating a serving of cooked green veggies lowered colon cancer risk by 24 percent compared to those who ate less than that. Since it’s not always practical to track fiber grams, an easier method is to make sure two-thirds of your plate comes from fiber-rich veggie sources like broccoli, cauliflower, and kale, says Dr. Valente.

Dish up yogurt

Fermented dairy products like yogurt pack gut-healthy probiotics. Eating plenty of yogurts may cut your risk of colorectal cancer by as much as 38 percent, suggests research published in the International Journal of Cancer. Bonus: The probiotics—healthy bacteria—can also help decrease some of the gas associated with eating beans and cruciferous veggies, says Dr. Valente.

Avoid these foods

The things you cut from your diet will help protect your colon as well: Avoid processed meat (like bacon and hot dogs)—the World Health Organization has classified it as a carcinogen. Also, limit red meat; if you want animal protein, stick to poultry and fish. And cut back on alcohol—stick to a drink a day, recommends Dr. Valente.

Go slow

If you’ve decided to eat more fiber, add it to your diet gradually, warns Dr. Valente. “The breakdown of food in your colon produces bacteria that release gas,” he says. That can translate to uncomfortable gas and bloating and frequent bowel movements. The experience can be so unpleasant that some people give up on their healthy choices altogether. Start by adding a high-fiber serving of, say, veggies a day for a week; then go up to two a day. Note that you’ll also need to drink more water as you eat more fiber, warns the Cleveland Clinic. If you’re adding a fiber supplement, start with one teaspoon daily; after two weeks, take two teaspoons daily; after a month, you can take the entire suggested serving. Your gut will thank you. 

Eat more walnuts

Not only do walnuts supply a couple grams of fiber per ounce (14 halves), but they also contain omega-3 fatty acids in the form of alpha-linolenic acid, which is why Dr. Valente recommends them among the foods that cleanse your colon. Animal research suggests that walnut consumption breeds a healthier gut environment and may reduce the development of cancerous colon tumors. 

Supplement with chia

Eating just 2 tablespoons chia seeds will give you a whopping 10 grams of fiber, as much as 40 percent of your daily needs. (Aim for 25 to 35 grams daily, advises Dr. Valente.) There’s a reason why you want to hit this mark: “Fiber moves stool through your colon and brings toxic chemicals and other substances like cholesterol out of your system,” he explains. Nutrients within fiber may also affect the colon on a cellular level to guard against disease.

It’s OK to supplement

Don’t expect a fiber supplement to make up for a lousy diet, but the truth is that doctors know how tough it can be to maximize your fiber intake from food alone. Dr. Valente says that it’s OK to take a fiber supplement—just check in with your doctor and make sure you’re also eating vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.