Spring Clean Your Pantry
Ok, well Covid -19 is a major thing and we all have to do our part and stay healthy, by staying away from work, school, and travel which forces us inside more than normal. I have seen a few funny memes about finally noticing your family members since there is no more sports on! I love that in the middle of a pandemic we can still find some humour in the situation.
Maybe while we are stuck inside not watching sports we can be a little productive. Spring is just around the corner and its inevitable, when spring comes, a good scrubbing of the house is in order! Instead of writing the same old boring blog about the importance of using non-toxic chemicals to clean your house, I want to encourage and help you spring clean your pantry.
Not organize it but, rather look at the food you have (and regularly eat) to determine how good it is for you. You might be surprised what is actually labeled as “healthy” but is SO not.
Unfortunately, the food industry generally does not care about your health. What they do care about is a good business model and selling lots of product. So, they take advantage of our busy lives, short attention spans and ignorance on what healthy food is. Don’t fear, I can help!! And you have some extra time on your hands!
Did you know that the average person in 2011 ate approximately 1,996 pounds of food!!
Let’s take this slow and you can determine how far you want to go with spring cleaning of your pantry.
Firstly, I hate to waste food but if some of the food in your pantry isn’t really food, toss it!
Step 1: These items should just go, they are not real food and can do real damage to your health.
Toss anything that says in the ingredients “hydrogenated oil”, “partially hydrogenated oils” or “Trans fats”. These fats are tremendously bad for you, especially your brain and your cardiovascular system. Do not eat these fats. They should be avoid and hardly eaten. See my latest blog on olive oil.
Artificial Sweeteners have been linked to behavioural problems, hyperactivity, allergies and they are possibly carcinogenic.
Pop. It CANNOT be a part of a healthy diet. A treat once in awhile maybe, but I don’t recommend it. Pop is high in sugar, which is linked with many health issues such as diabetes, obesity, increased triglycerides, hypoglycaemia and many more. The carbonation in pop will deplete your bones of calcium putting you at risk for bone diseases.
If this is all you do, fantastic! This is a great start, well done.
Step 2: Once you have gotten rid of some of the food stuff that isn’t really food we can go a little bit further.
Nitrites and Nitrates: These nasty chemicals are found in most preserved meats like hotdogs, lunch meat, pepperoni and are highly carcinogenic. It is best just to avoid any meat that is preserved or smoked.
MSG: Some people say MSG is harmless but I don’t agree and I also don’t see it worth the risk. Did you Know:
MSG has been used to fatten lab mice/rats up for scientific experiments.
MSG has been linked to headaches, agitation, increased heart rate, tightness in the chest, and tingling of the muscles or skin. Yikes!! Isn’t it interesting that most of us know when we eat MSG, we get those tell tale signs, how is that good for our bodies?
Step 3: You probably are pretty shocked at what is actually left in your pantry after removing everything that had hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, nitrites/nitrates and MSG. The next step is to ADD into your pantry dried beans, brown rice, oats and dried whole grain pastas.
I encourage you to take this time that we have inside our homes to head into the kitchen and learn how to prepare a new recipe. Try a new dish that is whole foods based and that can be nourishing for both our bodies and our souls!
Feel free to reach out to me for helpful tips, recipes or for additional help with spring cleaning your pantry.
Be safe and eat well!!
Sarah
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