Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast
Before you start a diet, you have to prep your kitchen. Getting ready for you new diet, is like bringing a baby home from the hospital or adopting a new puppy for the first time. You cannot just show up unprepared or you will fail!
Prepping your space
You will need to start with the refrigerator and clean it out. While you’re at it, take a look at all the “best by” dates on the condiments you have. Throw any out that have expired. Next up is the cabinets, pantry and freezer. Do the same here, while organizing your food into general categories. For instance, all canned beans together, tomatoes, cereals, pasta, broths and so on. This will allow you to glance at your stock and know what you need to add to the list for any groceries in just seconds. You want to take all the “work” out of this, so keep it simple!
Gathering quick meal ideas
You want to sit down with a recipe book, or go online for some ideas for simple quick, easy and nutritious meals. Remember, your main goal is twofold, make it lower fat and highly nutritious compared to your current diet. You will want to choose websites that you know will work with which ever diet you choose. If you find a recipe you think you might like, you can sub ingredients to make it allowable.
Some of my favorite resources for food ideas you can find at:
www.eatingwell.com
www.forksoverknives.com
Staples
After you clean out your kitchen and make a list, check it twice before you head to the store. I always try and keep low-sodium vegetable broth, a variety of canned beans (saves time but always rinse before using), canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, pasta, alternative milks (I use organic soy and organic almond milks), spices, oats, potatoes and rice on hand. These make great building blocks for your meals.
Fruits and Vegetables
Decide what fruits and vegetables you will buy fresh, and which ones you will buy frozen. I find that when buying fresh fruits, my intentions are good but, I do not always get to them before they go bad. This can be a waste of money.
I am going to suggest purchasing frozen blueberries, strawberries and fruits for your smoothies. That way, they do not go bad if you can’t get to your smoothies.
Then, you can use fresh blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and bananas for your oatmeal. I prefer frozen over canned. My only exceptions to this are beans and tomatoes. If you have freezer space, this is where you can really get the most bang for your buck, so go for it!
Frozen veggies make stir-fry and soups very quick and easy. Try to shop these when they are on sale. If you are a member of CostCo or Sam’s, they have some good options, however, I find some of the grocery stores beat their pricing in smaller quantities, when the stores have a sale. So pay attention!
I purchase my onions, potatoes, apples, cucumbers, spinach, kale, bell peppers, squash, cabbage and others as fresh. Then I will get things like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus and corn as frozen. This is something you will learn as time goes by, and you can adjust to what suits your needs. Your goal here is to utilize what you buy, so you don’t waste it.
Your first trip to the grocery store
Take your list of your needed items and lets head to the store. Your first trip to the store when starting a new diet, can be a bit costly. One option is to go ahead and use what you have in your pantry, until it is gone. Even though this might not be allowable on your diet, it will keep you from wasting food. Then replace it with healthier options as needed.
Doing this will help with some of the initial cost outlay. If you do decide to purge everything unrelated to your new diet overnight, please do not throw it away! Take what you do not want to a local food bank or church. There are people living in our country that battle food scarcity every day.
Learn to read a nutrition label
With any food, but especially condiments, you will need to learn to read the labels! I want each and every one of you to learn to read a nutrition label. By law, a manufacturer must place a label on each packaged item. Do not rely on the marketing on the front of a product to tell you its healthy, because we all know that companies never lie to sell products. Right?
Learn to read the ingredients on each label and Google each one you don’t know. You will find this eye-opening as to what is in that can or box you are about to consume. The less ingredients, the healthier it probably is. Try and stay away from a list of ingredients that fills the entire label or things high in hydrogenated oils, food colorings, natural flavors and things you just cannot pronounce.
The only oil you really want to consume is avocado and olive oil and even then, only in small quantities. You have to remember, oil is a very calorically dense food, that is high in fat. You need to look for “expeller” or “first cold pressed” on your olive oil. Remember, just because it is expensive, doesn’t make it good for you!
Spices
Spices are were you are going to make up in flavor, what you cannot have in fat. So, the sky’s the limit. If you cannot purchase a lot of spices at once, just buy one or two spices each month or as your budget will allow. You can also look for sales. I know that both Kroger and Tom Thumb will put a “buy two get one free” on many of their spices. Even though you might not need a spice, always make it a habit to check the isle for sales, especially on those you use a great deal.
Other
I always keep some organic ground flaxseed, chia seed, oatmeal, and a few nuts (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin and walnuts), and a nut nutbutter on hand. Use nuts sparingly as they are a high-fat food as well. I sometimes use the ground flax for as my breadcrumbs for recipes in the air fryer. It is a healthier option and provides a good source of Omega 3. I keep olive oil, avocado oil, and balsamic vinegar always.
You should now have a good base for your meals. Some other incidentals like tortillas, pita bread or small pizzas, might extend your options as well. Once you get all this in and put away, you are ready to go.
Starting your diet
My suggestion to you is start slow. Pick a day where you are not so stressed and you have the time to dedicate to your diet. I like Saturdays. Start making just one of your meals healthier, such as breakfast. Do this for a week, then the following week add another meal, such as lunch or a snack. Continue this until you are now hitting a healthier choice with each meal and snack. It can take you a full month to transition, or you can choose to do it all overnight and go cold turkey.
Just keep in mind that some foods can be as addictive as drugs. Think I am lying? Cut out all caffeine or sugar overnight! What you will be experiencing is a little thing called withdrawal! Symptoms of withdrawal could be headache, nausea, sweating, trimmers and an over feeling of malaise. Remember, this is your journey, and your destiny. You are in control.
Good luck and may the force be with you!
Alicia