One of the easiest ways to start eating healthy is to purge your pantry & fridge of ALL the bad stuff. That way there's no temptation & you are treating your & your family's bodies to only nutritious stuff. I've compiled a list here of 3 simple steps to start with. This is how I started purging my own pantry. Then as it gets easier, you can move on to more stuff to purge. Little steps help! If you feel bad about food going to waste, look up your local food bank and donate it. With fall upon us, schools, churches and other organizations are always having food drives around Thanksgiving. A great local resource for donations is Manna, The Conejo Valley Food Bank.
Much of this list can be found on the Top 10 Food Additives to Avoid. As a good rule of thumb, when you go shopping at the grocery store, shop around the perimeter of the store where the fresh products are. Try to avoid the middle of the store that contain mostly processed foods. I do buy a few frozen items like frozen organic veggies & fruits, and some crackers, cereal and snacks. You just need to be sure to be an avid label reader and become familiar with the bad ingredients to avoid. I've also limited the stores I shop at, only opting for the ones that offer healthier options. Sprouts, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's are the only grocery stores I frequent. Recently when I was at Sprouts, my kids were grabbing for snacks at the checkout stand. I was happy to treat them to organic fruit snacks instead of processed candy junk you find at other stores! I also like to get the majority of our veggies from CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes offered by local farmers, or Farmers Markets. I will be posting a separate piece on that subject - I am currently in the middle of comparing a few services. Things like granola bars are also a whole lot healthier if you make them yourself - more on that later too!
1) High Fructose Corn Syrup: Get rid of anything with this ingredient in it! Read ALL your labels - you may be surprised what has this ingredient in it! I concur with the information found here on Natural News on why it is so harmful.
2) Enriched Flour: Stay away from it! Look for bread & related items with whole grain flour instead. There's a great explanation of why here.
3) Sodas: Plain and simple just do not buy sodas! Not only do most of them contain high fructose corn syrup, the sugar levels in them just wreak havoc on your body. Michelle spoke about the dangers of sugar the other day Here. The only beverages you'll find in our home now is water, sometimes with fresh lemon slices, non-dairy milks, occasionally orange juice (watered down for the kids) and the occasional Kombucha for my husband & I. Oh, and if we do some fresh juicing you'll find that too - but that only lasts about 1 day because we drink it up so fast! For a while I was keeping Canada Dry Ginger Ale in my fridge "just in case" my stomach was upset. For years that has been my go to drink for upset stomachs! Not the healthiest option though - plus I found even that to be too tempting - I would grab for one as a refreshing treat while making dinner. They are now gone & we stock this in the pantry instead, a much healthier option:
There are a lot of other things to stay away from, but these 3 are a great start! If you've already eliminated these 3 from your pantry, move on down the list. Chances are though, if you are only buying fresh whole foods, you will be avoiding these ingredients anyways.
So purge away to better health!
Also, here is a great book that was recommended to me by a friend you may enjoy on the subject of nutrition & health:
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