Pantry Makeover

I don’t know about you, but every time I see food, I’m tempted to eat! It’s only human nature…

But instead of fighting our nature, maybe we should provide ourselves with better munching options. I suggest… a pantry makeover!

So here’s what this is all about - the purpose of the makeover is to ensure that you have healthy, nutritious foods available when the hunger or temptation kicks in. I think this is an empowering first step for your journey towards more balanced eating.

So how do you do it?

Here’s how to start:

Empty your pantry and fridge and put back items that you would like to eat as part of your journey to a healthier life.

Well, that’s easier said than done, right?

How do you know what’s healthy?

We are certainly aware that vegetables, fruits, legumes (ex. peas, beans, lentils), whole grains and other staple foods are healthy, but when it comes to packaged and processed foods, are they healthy or not? The key is reading labels. Label reading is a very important skill to ensure healthy eating. It tells us all about what we’re putting in our bodies. After all, we are what we eat.

Label reading can be a little overwhelming with the abundance of information labels provide, but I assure you, it’s not as hard as it seems. Here are a few quick label reading notes to follow when you’re re-stocking your pantry, or when you’re trying to make healthier choices in general:

1. Foods without labels are generally safe. Fruits and Veggies don’t have any labels on them! When was the last time you saw a label on an apple telling you of its nutrition value

2. Choose foods with less than 5 ingredients on the label. Why? Because that usually means there are going to be less additives in them!

3. This one’s simple: if there’s an ingredient that’s difficult to pronounce on the label… try and avoid it.

4. If there’s an item in the ingredient that you don’t recognize as food, also avoid it.

5. Lastly, buy food your grandmother would have recognized as food.

This seems pretty simple, right? Now for the hard part… to actually do it!

Take a step towards your healthier lifestyle through a pantry makeover.

Let me know what foods you decided to cut out!