How to Prepare Your Home For Healthy Eating

14 January, 2014 Article Nutrition

We’ve all heard the saying “you are what you eat” and there is definite truth to that. The foods we choice to eat will provide our bodies with the building blocks for our all of our body’s systems. What you eat will determine the health of your bones, heart, brain, and joints so make sure you choose wisely. Here are a few guidelines to get you on the right track.

Foods to toss out:

Chips & crackers
Chocolates or candy
Soda/pop/sweetened drinks
Alcohol, especially flavored/sweetened mixed drinks
Instant foods like cake mixes and mashed potatoes
Margarine and other processed fats
Frozen dinners
take-out or restaurant leftovers
Bowls of candy or other snacks sitting around
Sweetened yogurt and frozen yogurt
Breads and bagels
Other baked goods
Breakfast cereals
Crackers
Fruit, cereal, and/or granola bars
Regular peanut butter
Fruit juice
Condiments such as BBQ sauce and other sweetened sauces
Sweetened relishes, mustards, and ketchup (sugar or high fructose corn syrup in the top 3 ingredients)
Salad dressings
Bread crumbs, croutons, and other dried bread products
Processed meats such as hot dogs, bacon, and deli meats
Spreads such as Cheez Whiz or sweetened cream cheeses

When I tell most of my client’s this, their immediate reaction is “but what will I eat?!” ….

As long as we have the foods we are addicted to around, you will never eat the good stuff- this is a fact. Throw all of it out, NOW…. I’ll wait….

OK, did you toss everything into the dumpster?……

Now that your pantry is empty, here is a list of staples to have on hand in your pantry & refrigerator:

Foods to Restock:

Vegetables (preferably green & leafy ex: spinach, kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, bell peppers, etc.)
Fruits (preferably low sugar ex: small apple, pear, frozen or fresh berries)
Lean proteins (egg whites, boneless skinless chicken or turkey breast, 90% lean ground turkey or beef, fish, beef or pork tenderloin, whey protein, plain Greek yogurt, low fat cottage cheese)
Nuts/seeds (almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, brazil nuts, fresh almond or peanut butter, etc.)
Starchy Carbs (red potatoes, sweet potatoes, oats, quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, sprouted grain breads, corn, etc.

Food Preparation Tips:

Choose 1-2 days per week (ex: Sun & Wed) to prepare for next 3-4 days (make life easier & choose 1 item to cook per meal. This saves time, money & energy)
Pick a day of the week to shop & cook (~4 hours needed)
Make 3-4 servings of each meal, put it in a container & store it
At the end of each day, clean your dishes & portion your meals for the next day

Let’s create a better, healthier you!

Yeah, I know… the fitness world can be a confusing place, even when it comes to something as simple as understanding what to eat.

Let me help you make sense of it all with my FREE video series Healthy Eating 101. In it you’ll learn the what to eat, how much to eat, and strategies that make all of this simple & easy. As a special bonus you’ll also get my ebook 8 Daily Habits to a Healthier You so you can get started right away. Click here to get started!

If you this information to be helpful please SHARE this post to help spread the message of healthy living. Thank you for reading!

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