Cleaning out your fridge can be an emotional experience. As you open your fridge, comfort foods stare back at you. We think about all of the money we spent on the food and hate to waste the food, when in reality the food isn’t healthy so it’s hurting us more than helping.
To start out 2014 on the right foot, I suggest doing a pantry and fridge cleanse, getting rid of junk food and filling it with the nutritious good stuff!
What you need to begin:
1. A no excuse attitude in order for some tough love and tossing some serious junk food out of your life
2. Trash bags to get the food out of your pantry
3. Paper and pen close by to start a new grocery list to replenish your food with healthy picks
Step 1: Assess The Situation
You can tell a lot about your eating habits from looking at your fridge. Is most of the food packaged or fresh? Is it listed as Fat Free/Sugar Free or are they real foods? Do you see any un-naturally colored food items or supposedly healthy foods that are hiding behind good marketing, but don’t have the good ingredients to back it up?
Fat-free and sugar-free items frequently have more sugar or artificial sugar and excess calories than the ‘full-fat’ version. Try to avoid food additives such as artificial colors and ingredients. Read over the ingredient list and pay attention to the salt and sugar in your foods more than the calories and fat. Beware of marketing, now a days everything is labeled ‘natural’ or ‘made from real fruit’, but lacks the nutritional value to back up the claims.
My rule of thumb is: If you can’t pronounce the ingredient, you probably don’t need to be eating it.
As you go through the foods ask yourself, who is the food intended for (your kids)? who really ends up eating the food? Why did you pick this food to purchase? Do the kids (or you) really need special ‘treats’ to be in the kitchen year round? Also identify the good foods that you want to keep in the fridge and the weak foods that you know you need to get rid of.
It helps to point out trigger foods. Trigger foods are the foods that you can’t just eat one serving of. Maybe you try to eat one cookie, but you always end up eating 7. Or one cup of cereal is never enough, you have to eat at least half the box. These are the foods that trigger you to overeat and you want to keep them out of your kitchen and your diet.
Step 2: Get Rid of the Junk
Start by removing all of the food from your pantry and fridge and place it on your kitchen counter. Once you can see all of the food you will have an easier job going through it and organizing it. First check for stale or outdated foods – get rid of them. Ask yourself how long the food has been in the pantry or fridge, over a year? Get rid of it! Next, read the ingredient list. Is sugar or sodium the first or second ingredient on the list, if so consider tossing these foods. If they are essential such as brown sugar for occasionally cooking, i suggest you put these high up in the pantry out of your line of sight.
Now is when the cleanse gets difficult. You don’t want to throw out the package of oreos because there are 7 left and you promise you will finish them tonight. Or you just purchased the soup that contains over half of our daily sodium needs, and you don’t want to waste the money. This is where the no excuse attitude comes in. If you don’t want to throw the food away, put it in a box and donate it to a nearby food shelter, but get it out of your house.
Once you’ve cleared your counter from the junk it is time to reorganize your pantry/fridge and decide what needs to be restocked. I suggest keeping the healthier foods within an easy reach and the unhealthier foods out of sight.
Step 3: Replenish Your Pantry and Fridge with The Good Stuff
What is the good stuff? Isn’t that the question that got us here in the first place?
Vegetables and Fruits – I always try to buy fresh veggies and fruits as much as possible. Next, I suggest frozen veggies/fruits and if you need to buy canned veggies make sure you pick up the low sodium or low syrup type and rinse them before you cook them.
Nuts – Unsalted or reduced salt are the best.Walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, pistachios and cashews are great picks. Pay attention to serving size when you are eating nuts, they are great to work in your diet but don’t mindlessly eat them because they are higher in fat.
Beans and Proteins – Dry beans usually taste best, but take much longer to cook. If you do go with canned beans make sure to wash them before you eat them to get the excess sodium off. Canned tuna can be a great chance to add protein and healthy omega-3 fatty acids into your diet. Other meats I keep in my freezer or try to buy weekly based on what I am planning on cooking.
Low-fat or Fat-free Dairy – A serving of Greek yogurt can not only pack a lot of protein punch but it will get you a healthy serving of calcium and offer half the amount of carbs as its regular yogurt counter part.
Whole-grains – Pastas and high fiber options like brown rice, couscous, oatmeal and quinoa are great for your health! Don’t swear off all carbs, embrace the whole grains in our diet. I tell all my clients to limit your purchases with white bread, pasta and flour – always go for the hearty whole grain pick!
Herbs and Spices – Keep a variety of spices on hand to keep your meals interesting and flavorful!
Many of these foods you might not love the taste of at first, but give them a chance. Just like any food you acquired a taste for other foods over the years, these are just new flavors and textures that you need to try in different recipes and find a way you enjoy to incorporate them into your diet.
Step 4: Maintaining a Clean Pantry and Fridge
In order to keep a healthy pantry and fridge you need support from your family. If your husband or wife is constantly stopping by the grocery and picking up junk food then you won’t have control of what stays out of the kitchen. Read the nutrition labels at the grocery and get in a routine of looking out for red flags on foods such as high sodium, saturated fats, a long list of ingredients you can’t pronounce or special treats that you don’t need. This will help you avoid bringing it home to your kitchen and having to toss it out later.
If it’s a special occasion and you have left over birthday cake in the house, take it into your office and let your co-workers help you finish it. Once you get in a routine of writing a grocery list and you have found good healthy foods to purchase, maintaining a well stocked fridge/pantry will quickly become routine!
When was the last time you cleaned out your fridge or pantry?