Kitchen Clean Out Tips

Trying to eat healthy? Time to clean out those foods that will derail your progress.

What goes? Anything that’s a temptation.

That doesn’t alway mean no cookies, candy or chips. 

What that means is evaluating what your kryptonite is.

We’re not all chip people. If you’re not likely to reach for the chips, let them stay if other members of the family will eat them and would like to eat them. 

Some might say that you should never have chips in the house. I'm not that person. I have not completely overhauled my house to go organic, unprocessed everything. I AM more careful about what I buy and I do read labels much more carefully than I used to. Where I can I make healthy swaps and substitutions but I'm not going to force my kids to come along for the ride with me wholesale. They're young and active and the occasional chip or bowl of ice cream isn't going to hurt them. It's different for me. 

In the past year, I’ve become more picky about my cheats. Even when I’m having a bad day and am likely to emotionally eat, I know that I’m not going to reach for the Oreos. I WILL, however, reach for a pint of Ben & Jerry’s if it’s in the freezer. I know that even under the worst of situations, am not tempted by Doritos or gummy bears. I AM tempted by homemade baked goods.

What’s this mean for me in the kitchen? 

I control what comes in and what goes out. I control what I buy. 

I set the menu, I make the weekly grocery list, and I do the grocery shopping. I AM IN CONTROL. I CHOOSE not to buy my kryptonite. Unless it’s a special occasion, I don’t buy treats that I know will derail my progress.

I channel my desire to bake treats into my weekly food prep on Sundays. Instead of making cookies, muffins and sweet breads like I once did, I make healthy versions of those treats. I look for recipes that support my food goals rather than derailing them.

I make the choice to throw out food that I find tempting. A few weeks back, that was those evil and totally addictive Cadbury mini eggs. After eating my way through bag #1 with the “if I just finish off the bag they’ll be gone and won’t tempt me anymore” mentality, I made the mistake of opening bag #2 two days later. Wrong call! 

After a few too many stops by the pantry on my way through the kitchen I finally had to say goodbye to the mini eggs. Into the trash they went. And we’re not talking resting in the bag on the top of the trash either… We all remember the Sex in the City episode where Miranda ate brownies out of the trash, right? No easy to sneak back out of the trash method here - instead, I chose to dump them out and down the side of the bag so they’re covered and gross. No temptations! The other option? Garbage disposal!

Yes, it’s a choice and yes, sometimes it means we waste food but I’d rather throw out food than treat myself like a human garbage disposal.

Eating healthy IS work. I'm not going to lie. It takes commitment, the practice of being mindful and for me, the support of my family and challenge groups. It is TOTALLY possible to do though. Even if you're currently subsisting on mostly processed food, you CAN make a change if you want to do it. 

I look back at my eating habits 2 years ago and I'm proud of the change I've made. I've gone from eating almost entirely carbs to a well-balanced diet that actually includes my fair share of vegetables. Who would have thought this lettuce and raw veggie-hater could make that leap? Not I! 

If I can do it, anyone can with the right support system and the desire to do it.

My diet one year ago...

What a difference a few months,
a little coaching and some
willpower make!

So where do you start? 

Set yourself up for success!

* Clean out that kitchen.

* Get your family/friends on board by asking them to join you or at least to support you in your effort to live a more healthy life.

* If you need/want additional support, consider joining an accountability group. Speaking for myself, these groups have been so important both in teaching what to eat, how much and of what foods, and then providing me the support and structure I needed to be successful in my efforts.

If you're interested in trying it out, I'd encourage you to reach out. I run many different groups every month so we can totally find something that works to meet your needs. Fill out the application below for more info and I'll be in touch:

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