Spring Cleaning Guide for a Diet-Friendly Kitchen

The majority of us have been falling into a habit of heavy, comfort foods throughout the winter. That said, even if you’ve been careful not to do this, the odds are that there is still a buildup of unhealthy foods in your kitchen. Your cupboards, fridge and freezer may not be filled with them, but they’re likely peppered with them, which is enough to hold back your health and weight loss. This year, spring clean with a diet-friendly kitchen in mind. A good spring cleaning for a diet-friendly kitchen can make a bigger difference than you might think. The key is to know what you’re doing. That way, you’ll know that you’re getting the season started with the right foundation. In the diet-friendly kitchen cleanout, begin with your freezer. There, it’s good to understand what’s good and what’s not. Certain products will last longer than others in the freezer, but it’s good to know that even on ice, nothing lasts forever. Raw meats will usually last up to nine months. Packaged foods won’t last quite that long. Anything that is getting freezer burned should be thrown away. Freezer burned foods are covered in ice and look dry. They taste bad and have had their nutrients depleted. Use the newly available space to hold frozen berries and fruits as well as frozen veggies. This way they’ll always be available for fast meals and smoothies. Hit the fridge, next. Throw out anything that has spoiled and place the healthiest foods at the front and at eye level. Make the foods you know you should eat the ones you see the most easily. Any treats should go at the back. Though you might feel inclined to wash and cut everything up to save time later on, this will only cause it to spoil more quickly. You can prepare things the night before but hold back from preparing things on Monday when you’ll be using them near the end of the week. At cupboard time, get a big bag and add all the unopened bags of chips and any products high in sugar, preservatives and sugar, like most energy and granola bars as well as pretzels. Put them all in the bag and donate them to the local food bank. Replace them with air-popped popcorn, healthy nuts, and oatmeal. Replace any canned foods you have for their no-sodium-added alternatives (donate the ones you don’t want).