Healthy eating and making smart food choices is what we all strive for. Shifting towards a plant-based diet is easy and has made my eating habits simple and sustainable. Well guess what? It all starts in the kitchen!

In this blog post, we’re going to look at setting yourself up for success by getting rid of the unnecessary, unhealthy foods in your kitchen. If your have healthy food available to you, you are more likely to eat healthy food. And vice-versa! If you have a pantry full of processed food, you are more likely to eat it. 

WHAT YOU NEED IS A KITCHEN CLEANOUT!

I’ll walk you through the steps to clean up your kitchen build up a stock of healthy, go-to foods.

You may not even realize that you are housing foods that are derailing your diet and tempting you even though you know better. Let’s take a look at a couple of these hidden culprits.

One good example is crackers…. Do you munch away a few crackers here and few crackers there? Most store-bought crackers are pretty high in fat and calories and are highly processed with an ingredient list that is impossible to understand.

Chips fall into the same category. Don’t keep a bag of chips around with the idea that you might need them if company comes over – you can do better.

So start your kitchen cleanout by going through your fridge and cupboards and ditching any foods that you KNOW are unhealthy. I don’t want to tell you that you can never have those foods again, we all need to live a little☺ but it’s important to start with a strong foundation. This means getting rid of the junk first and foremost!

Here’s a list of things to get rid of:

– Refined grain products (white flour, pasta, store-bought pastries, some breads, bagels, donuts)
– Anything deep fried (Frozen French fries, frozen chicken wings, spring rolls).
– Products with a lot of unrecognizable ingredients (Some store-bought cereals, kids cookies, sauces, dressings, freezer meals)
– Anything overly processed (Some veggie dogs and burgers, other soy-based meat substitutes, canned soups, kraft dinner)
– High-sugar foods (store-bought juices, pop, candy, flavoured yogurts)

If you are working your way towards a plant-based diet, get rid of:

Cow’s milk and cheese
Meats
Butter
Ice cream
Eggs
Mayonnaise

Ok, now you’ve gotten rid of the things you don’t need. Now comes the fun part: filling your fridge and pantry with wholesome foods. This is where the real transformation begins☺

Here are you healthy, kitchen must-haves:

For the Pantry:
Hemp Hearts
Chia seeds
Flax seeds
Coconut Oil
Quinoa
Raw Walnuts
Raw Almonds
Raw Pumpkin Seeds
Black Beans(canned organic are what I keep stocked)
Chickpeas (organic canned)
Large old fashioned oats
Apple cider vinegar
Braggs Soy Sauce
Agave or Honey
Medjool Dates

 

*** I shop for a lot of my pantry essentials online! http://www.yupik.ca 

For the Fridge:
Almond butter
Almond milk (note-if you are transition from cow’s milk you might find it easier to start with soy milk as it is delicious. Trust me the little bit of soy won’t be harmful and bonus, it has tons of protein)
Vegenaise (Vegan mayonnaise)

 

For the Produce Drawer / Fruit Bowl:
Lemon and Limes
Cucumbers
Spinach / Kale / Collards / Arugula / Swiss Chard
Onions
Bell peppers
Cauliflower
Yams
Avocadoes
Apples
Bananas
Berries (frozen)
Mangos (frozen)
**A note on produce: Buy tons of fruits and vegetables and load up your fridge. Start by buying the veggies you know you and your family will like. Then get more adventurous as time goes on.

Remember small steps lead to a big change. Not only do you feel better when you clean up or de-junk your diet but I guarantee you will have more energy, fewer highs and lows and much more feeling great!

There’s a catch though… you actually have to make the time to do this kitchen cleanout! So carve out an hour (minimum) for the cleanout and another couple of hours to go out and re-stock on healthy foods.