Out with the old.
A significant step in eating a healthier diet is making sure you have a good supply of the foods you need on hand, in your pantry! Spring is a great time of year to clear out and declutter, get rid of the things that are keeping you on that rollercoaster of high’s and low energy and the foods that don’t support vibrant health. Follow the simple steps below:
- Set your intent for taking a new step to improve your health. Put on some inspiring music, make an energizing cup of tea and get going.
- Take everything out of your pantry and put it on the counter. Have a few empty boxes or bags ready. Designate the give away pile and the throw away pile.
- Read all labels for hidden ingredients, (and not so hidden ingredients) to assess. Be aware that often time’s manufacturers reformulate packaged foods; just because you’ve been eating a food for years doesn’t mean it still has the same ingredients in it.
What to Check For?
- Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and oils: Hydrogenated oils (Trans-fats) are linked to many health issues including obesity, heart disease, nutritional deficiencies’, poor cellular health, etc. Hydrogenated fats are poor quality, highly refined fats that are inexpensive and help to extend the shelf life of the food.
- Added refined sweeteners and artificial sweeteners: manufacturers have gotten really slick in trying to hide these, often there are 3-5 different kinds of sweeteners in one product Look for sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, glucose, sucrose, cane juice, saccharine, aspartame, sucralose. Remember the more sugar you consume the more you will crave. Unfortunately there is some kind of sweetener in almost every processed food on the shelf.
- Highly processed convenience foods: often times these items suggest you are getting high quality nutrient rich foods but they have been so highly refined that they rob our bodies of nutrients in order to utilize them. Look at your cereals, chips, macaroni and cheese, instant grain mixes, muffin, cookie and cake mixes, crackers, energy bars, white flour and refined flour breads.
- Check for Neurotoxin chemical additives: these are preservatives, colorings and additives that give highly processed foods flavor. Look out for Aspartame, MSG, glutamate, etc. Neurotoxins have been linked to nerve cell and brain cell damage. For more information on this fascinating and important work I suggest reading “The Taste that kills”, by Dr. Russell Blaylock, Board Certified Neurosurgeon.
- Go through your spices, herbs and seasoning mixes: if they are over 1 year old, throw them away- they probably don’t have much flavor left. When replacing spices, herbs I suggest buying certified organic, this will guarantee they have not been irradiated during processing.
- Sodium content: this is another ingredient that is very high in all processed food. Look for salt, sodium nitrate, citric acid, and msg. Choose foods that have kelp or sea salt instead. Many of these are used for flavoring but also as to enhance the color of processed foods such as sausages, meats, hotdogs, etc.