Raid Your Kitchen Clean

Sometimes, getting started is the hardest part.  I can almost tell when someone is going to have issues sticking to their clean-eating plan because they will say something like,”Well, I have all this junk food in my house, but it seems like such a waste to throw it all away...I’ll just keep it until we go through it and not buy anymore.”

This is akin to a drug addict promising to get clean when he finishes his current stash; he always end ups with ANOTHER stash.  The BEST way to set yourself up for weight loss and clean-eating success is to RAID your kitchen CLEAN.  Here’s how to do it:

1. Start in your pantry.  This is the place where the worst offenders are usually found.  Dump white flour and sugar and anything made with those things; this also goes for white bread, white rice, and white pasta (you’ll replace these with different options later).  Have brown sugar?  That goes, too; brown sugar is really just white sugar with molasses added to it.

You can keep your canned goods, but check the ingredients to make sure there is no nonsense thrown in just for fun; citric acid is okay and occurs naturally in food.  Watch out for ingredients like added salt or sulphites.  Canned vegetables are okay, but should really only be used as a last resort when you cannot get fresh or frozen.

Also, look out for your jarred pasta sauces; many of them have added sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, or other unpronounceable and nasty ingredients.

Even something as innocent as a seasoning packet can have many unwanted ingredients.

Obvious offenders that should also hit the trash should be chips, snack cakes, cookies, candy, sugary cereals, flavored instant-oatmeal packets, 100 calorie packs, dinner “kits” with bags of rice or pasta with powdered seasonings, canned soups, flavoring packets, and certain seasoning blends.  If you are in doubt about ANYTHING, read the label; ALL of the ingredients should be familiar to you.  Basically, when you are finished, you should have mostly herbs and spices, a few canned vegetables, and any whole grain rices, flours, or pastas that you already had on hand.  Your pantry should actually look rather empty.

These are the labels from two kinds of chips; the bottom one would come across as "healthy" from the front of the bag; the back?  Not so much.

This is the actual label from a bag of corn chips.  While not the healthiest thing in the world, I would eat these in moderation, especially as opposed to the ones above.

2. Move on the the freezer.  The freezer can be a glorious haven of preserved healthy foods, or a hellish chamber of filthy convenience foods.  Again, you have to go to the ingredients list here.  Check the labels.  If it either doesn’t have a label (because it is something like chicken breasts or other meat), or if the label contains simple ingredients, such as “strawberries,” keep it.  Even if it seems like a no-brainer, peruse the label anyway; you’ll be surprised at how many “wholesome” foods have added sugar, sodium, or “natural flavors” (you don’t want to know what that is; trust me on this one).  

Obvious items to pitch are pre-made frozen meals (even “lean” or diet ones), or anything that doesn’t remotely resemble the whole food it comes from; frozen taquitos, pizza, chicken nuggets, processed chicken patties, this means YOU.

3. Scope out the fridge.  Unless the food looks much the way it did the day it was harvested or slaughtered (sorry), it should probably go.  You want to focus on WHOLE foods.  Again, you are going to have to read labels; particularly hateful offenders are salad dressings, sauces, condiments (ketchup!), margarine, certain dairy products (even watch your sour cream and cottage cheese for added ingredients), pre-shredded cheese, processed cheese product, and jams and jellies.  Get rid of any sort of flavored yogurts, sugar-free or otherwise; henceforth, you will be flavoring your own with REAL, whole fruit and honey. Also going is processed lunch meat with nitrates; Boar’s Head is a clean brand that I know of; here is St. Louis, about the only place to get it is select Schnuck’s stores.  Keep eggs, real butter, mustards, fresh produce and meat, and any leftovers from clean recipes.

   

   Go ahead; GOOGLE "natural flavor".  I dare you.

4. Take out the trash.  I know it seems elementary, but once you throw it all away, throw it away for good.  Get it OUT of the house.  Throw it in the trash can outside.  Take it to the curb!  Kiss it goodbye.
5. Get your family on board.  So, what if your husband starts having a panic attack because you are tossing the Krunchers?  The kids are throwing full-blown hissy-fits because they see the box of Swiss cake rolls in the garbage?  Take some time to explain to them WHY you are doing this.  How will being a healthier person make your life better?  How will FINALLY shedding the weight change your life?  What will that life look like for you and your family?  Explain to them how important it is to you.  Tell them that you are working on finding ways that EVERYONE in the family can be healthier.

If certain members of your family are still resistant, make a compromise.  Ask that they

keep their junk food in a secret spot - a cabinet in the garage, a drawer in the bedroom - somewhere you won’t be tempted to look.

I’ve had to do this with my husband and candy.  Let’s be honest; I know there are Starburst is in the console compartment of the sectional sofa in the living room, but they are out of sight, out of mind.  I also have a meal plan, so if I am really hungry or craving something sweet, I already have a go-to.

Hopefully, over time, your family will begin to support your choices.  Until then, hope that their love for you will help them to hide the snack cakes from you.

Yes, they are delicious, and remind us of our poverty-stricken youth, but the ingredients in both the noodles and the soup base DO NOT belong in a healthy diet.

6. Re-stock with healthy options.  If you’ve done all this, your kitchen looks pretty naked.  This can be depressing.  What the heck are you going to eat?  

This is where meal planning comes in.  Make a meal plan, and from that, a shopping list, and re-stock the cupboards with healthy foods.  Have every single meal and snack for the week planned.  Magnet your meal plan to your fridge.  On Sunday, prep your snacks so that you can just grab them and go.  DO NOT buy junk at the store.  If your husband wants pizza rolls, he can buy them himself.  Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat.  It does become second nature, I swear.

The idea, especially in the beginning, is to remove temptation.  Set yourself up for success, not failure.  I know you might feel like you are wasting a lot of food or money; if that REALLY bothers you, give it away to someone who needs it more than you do.

This journey is about YOU, and what you can do for yourself so that you can be there for your family.  You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else.  You are BUSY.  You need to fuel your body to give it the energy it needs to keep up with the demands of your life.

You can do this, because YOU are FIERCE!