5 Ways Cleaning Your Pantry Can Help Your Health Goals

Spring is a great time of year to add pantry and refrigerator makeovers to your spring cleaning list, and even consider one or two personal eating swaps. Take stock of the foods that sit on your refrigerator and pantry shelves to clean up your act.

Here are some helpful tidbits:

1. Organize

Consider organizing your pantry based on subject: baking, whole grains, oils, condiments, herbs/spices, sweeteners. As you’re reorganizing, read the food labels. If there are ingredients you can’t pronounce or understand, that’s a red flag; consider throwing them out.

2. Check the Expiration

Check expiration dates of products that sit in your cupboards and refrigerator. Anything that is past due, dump it. Then organize what’s left by putting the most recent expiration dates in the front. 

3. Watch Out for Hidden Sugars

Sugar lurks in many unexpected things. Think ketchup, salad dressings, yogurt, sports drinks, cereals and juice.

4. Make the Swap

Consider cleaning these things out of your house and making healthier swaps:

• Ditch the ketchup or purchase organic and unsweetened.

• Make your salad dressings at home with olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper.

• Choose coconut water over sports drinks.

• Swap processed sugar or artificial sweeteners with raw honey, maple syrup or agave.

• Use plain yogurt over fruit or flavored yogurt (vanilla, honey) and add fresh fruit.

• Stay away from “concentrate” when it comes to fruit juices and juice them yourself, or better yet, just eat the fruit to get all its fiber benefits.

• Switch processed deli meats with all natural versions.

5. Consider the 5-10-10 rule

If you eat foods from a package, make sure they are less than 5 ingredients, less than 10 grams/sugar per serving, and more than 10 grams/protein per serving. 

Cleaning out your kitchen and adding in healthier alternatives is sure to put a spring in your step!

Sources: IIN, Whole30, Primal Kitchen, Thrive Market