Keeping a healthy kitchen
Maybe it’s the warm weather, but life has become much healthier since we moved back to Florida. Dumping most of the stuff I had in my Alaska kitchen, though I felt completely wasteful, gave me the opportunity to start fresh down here. Except for spices and other basic cooking ingredients, my kitchen is a blank slate.
I’m committed to keeping my new kitchen as healthy as possible and, so far, aside from a couple of boxes of Cheez-Its (2-for-1 at Publix, couldn’t resist) I’m off to a promising start.
Here are my steps to a healthier kitchen:
1. Don’t buy crap. Simple idea: If there’s only good things to eat, you’ll tend to eat good things. If you buy crap, you’ll eat crap. Simple.
2. Opt for the healthier alternative. Buying rice? Buy brown rice. Buying tortillas? Buy the whole gran version. Read labels carefully – sometimes that “healthy” label is lying. If Fruit Loops count as a healthy choice, just think of all the other junk they’re trying to sell as “healthy.”
3. Keep it out. Keep fresh fruit out in the open where you’re more likely to pick it up.
4. Cut it up. When you’re faced with the choice of simply opening a bag of chips or peeling and cutting a bag of carrots, the simpler choice tends to win out. Make it easy on yourself, either buy bags of pre-cut veggies or save some money and do it yourself. Buy a bag of carrots, celery and whatever else you like and take a minute or two to sit down and chop it all up at once.
5. Shop the outside aisles at the supermarket. I heard this tip once, I think in a HungryGirl newsletter, and have tried to stick to it. You’ll tend to create a healthier menu if you try to do most of your shopping on the outside aisles of the supermarket. Think about it – fresh fruit and veggies, fresh meat and dairy, and fresh baked goods. Of course, you’re going to have to venture toward the inside for some things, but it’s still a healthy strategy.
6. Don’t get rid of all the fun. Always have some kind of treat available. In our house this usually involves ice cream. Buy the real stuff – nothing sweetened with aspartame or Splenda. If you’re going to indulge, eat the real stuff, but keep it to one serving, not the whole carton.
7. Plan meals. This was easier to do when I worked at home and had more time to spend preparing and cooking meals. But now that I’m back in the office, I just choose meals that are simpler to put together. When you plan out your weekly meals you’ll not only spend less at the grocery store, but you’ll eat healthier by not opting to grab something quick to go from a fat- and salt-filled restaurant.
That’s the plan and I’m stickin’ to it!
Any more suggestions on keeping a healthy kitchen? Please leave a comment and share your strategy.
