02 Feb Kitchen Makeover
This is an update from Feb. 2, 2018.
Now that the holidays are over, I’ve been purging the useless junk around my house. And boy do I have junk. Because I’ve been on a quest to gain good health, I’ve had limited energy. That’s because I rarely sleep through the night. Why don’t I sleep? Good question–I’ve been trying to answer that for over 20 years. I suspect a bad reaction to mercury fillings in my teeth. Meanwhile, I had them removed last summer. And something else really wonderful happened. I discovered weighted blankets. I bought one and now I’m sleeping much better. Whoohoo. Now I have energy.
And I’m attending to my long neglected closets and cabinets.
So maybe you too are de-cluttering. And the kitchen deserves your attention. Healthy eating begins at home. Maybe it’s time for a kitchen makeover. Like other makeovers, this will help you look your best, and feel your best, too. So, let’s start purging the junk. Then let’s fill the cabinets and fridge with what makes us healthy.
Get Out a Trash Bag
Canola oil and hydrogenated oils. Read the labels of those crackers, bars, and cookies. Canola oil is not good for your health, contrary to popular opinion. Soybean oil is not any better.
Preservatives, additives, dyes. Would you eat paint? Of course not, but those colors listed on the label are made out of petroleum. Yum. Read the labels. This is why I rarely buy something in a package with a nutrition label. The main reason you need a nutrition label is to convince you there might be nutrition is that item. I’m not convinced.
Fat free foods. Fat free also means taste free so sugar is added. And thrown in is a good dose of chemicals like MSG, a neurotoxin, or “natural flavors” which are anything but natural. Do these foods seem appealing?
Deli meat. They are loaded with nitrates to preserve them, which are a major cause of disease and cancer. Oh no, not bacon too. I look for “natural” bacon which is preserved with naturally occurring nitrates from celery juice. When I want bacon, that’s what I eat.
Flour. Wheat flour is high in gluten which is problematic for most people. Remind yourself that paste is flour and water. Do you really want to eat glue? Isn’t that what the weird kid in kindergarten did? Sometimes I’ll use a spoonful of potato starch as a thickener instead.
Milk. Milk has a great PR program which has convinced you it is essential for health. However, milk is pasteurized and in the act of removing pathogens, nutrients are also removed. Some people note that no other species drinks milk after early childhood. Milk can be difficult to digest.
Refined sugar. Sorry but it’s toxic, especially in large quantities. Sigh. Artificial sweeteners are worse and cause weight GAIN. Throw out anything with sugar or artificial sweetener on the ingredients list, especially sodas.
Add in the Good Stuff
Olive oil, coconut oil, and grass-fed organic butter. You can also try avocado oil, walnut oil, ghee, and/or MCT oil. More good fat sources are nuts, nut butters (my weakness!), seeds, olives, avocados, and fatty fish like salmon and sardines. Your brain is made from from healthy fats. Need I say more?
Vegetables and fruits in all the colors. Eat the rainbow, especially green. Each color represents a different phytonutrient whether it’s in fruit or a veggie. Starchy veggies like butternut squash or beets last a little longer in the fridge so I like to keep some on hand for the times I can’t get to the store.
Meats and fish with the bones, or other protein sources. I like to buy a whole free range chicken. First I bake it, then I save the bones for making broth. Then I make a soup with vegetables. It’s a cycle that keeps me eating healthy. Bones give good minerals to the broth, as well as really improving the taste of veggies. Other protein sources are beans, eggs, and cheese.
Fermented foods. Vinegar, full fat plain yogurt, and sauerkraut are great for your gut. Homemade, when feasible, is better because there are no worries about the probiotics being removed in processing. Also you can try kombucha, kefir, natto, kvass, and other ferments.
Seasonings like sea salt and peppercorns. Sea salt contains minerals that are good for you. Herbs are wonderful too, and so are spices like cinnamon and turmeric (these go in my morning coffee with a speck of black pepper). And they make food taste so good.
Honey, maple syrup, dates. Some people also use coconut sugar, monk fruit, lo han, stevia, and erythritol, as they don’t spike blood sugar as much as refined sugar. I have soaked dates and made date paste and used it in baked goods with almond or coconut flour for an occasional treat. Emphasis on occasional.
Quinoa, buckwheat, rice, and other grains. These are for active, healthy people. Soaked or sprouted are even better. But these foods are not essential, as in you could live without them easily.
Need help figuring out what to eat and what to avoid? Contact me. I’m a National Board Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach. I’d be happy to help you find tasty food that works for you.
Comments: What’s in your kitchen?
Dr. Hyman Eat Fat Get Thin Cookbook
Deanna Minich the rainbow diet
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