How is the health of your pantry?
For many of us on this health journey, we have cleaned out our fridges. We have the nutritionally inspiring cookbooks (like mine) on our shelves to replace the old Women's Weekly classics.
But hiding in the back of our pantries are most likely some nasties that you may be still holding on to.
It's easy to get into the habit of using certain ingredients or having go-to's that actually aren't serving us.
Chemical-laden canned goods are probably one of the main culprits that are probably hiding up the back of your cupboard right now. From the packaging, you would think you are doing the right thing, perhaps buying some mixed beans to go into your homemade nachos, or some lovely vegetable soup to take to work for lunch. But look at the ingredients panel (note, not the "nutritional information" panel, which really doesn't give you much actual information) and you will usually find sugars, preservatives, unknown numbers and colours, salts and less-than-desirable oils.
Many of these canned goods can easily be swapped for healthier alternatives, you just need to know where to find them! Often the organic canned goods have better ingredients (although always check) as well as better quality cans, so you know you won't have extra chemicals leaching into your food. If it's just an oil or salt, you can rinse out the contents before consuming. Or make your own version at home! Google is your friend here, with millions of recipes to choose from. Or ask me during your next consultation.
There are many other simple swaps you can do RIGHT NOW to improve you and your family's health and ensure you are getting the most out of your food.
1. Swap table salt for a natural pink or Celtic salt. Look for a good quality version of these salts! I stock a beautiful Changing Habits Seaweed Salt online and in the clinic.
2. Swap white vinegar for raw apple cider vinegar. You can buy Braggs now from most supermarkets in the health food section.
3. Swap supermarket nuts for fresh good quality nuts from health food or whole food grocer. Store them in the fridge.
4. Swap oily meals to the the fridge so they don’t go rancid. These include your LSA, almond meal, etc.
5. Swap overly processed seed oils like canola, vegetable and safflower for olive oil or coconut oil. Ensure you go for a good quality version of these oils!
6. Swap white sugar for a natural sweetener like stevia, honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar. You can also use medjool dates as a natural sweetener.
7. Swap white wheat flour for a good quality whole meal or ancient grain like spelt. There are so many flour options now, especially if you have a bulk whole foods store handy like Scoop in Newcastle!
We'd love to hear from you - What is one of the pantry swaps you have made to improve your health?
Comment below!