Body

Detox Your Kitchen

Clean out your kitchen for a healthy lifestyle

Dr. Roni DeLuz ND, RN, PH. D

Clean out your kitchen for a healthy lifestyle

Having an organized, healthy stocked kitchen, makes cooking more enjoyable and promotes an overall sense of well-being. People who have a clean, organized kitchen also tend to spend less on groceries and lose more weight. After all, healthy eating begins and ends with preparing food at home using fresh ingredients. There may be items lingering from the end of summer festivities in your fridge, food in the freezer that is expired, or old stale or molded spices in your pantry to discard. Autumn is the perfect time to nurture your body and refresh your food stock.

Does your kitchen flow?

Even if you don’t live in your “dream kitchen,” you can still set it up to streamline your cooking, juicing, meal planning and prep routine. Ideally you have a triangle pattern of where you walk in a kitchen when cooking. It starts from fridge to sink, to cabinets to stove, to sink for clean up. Imagine the flow of cooking without going back and forth over the same pattern forgetting things because you don’t follow a flow while preparing ingredients, cooking and clean up.
Create a flow for organization.

Make your kitchen a space that is appealing to you and makes you happy

There are many affordable ways to spruce up your kitchen, including inexpensive, inspiring and happy artwork with light no pattern colors. Use one or two colors so that you feel open, light and bright in your kitchen space. I love the feeling of outside coming to the inside, so I have fresh flowers and live plants with lots of open windows in my kitchen. I have my porch chairs inside the kitchen because they make me happy and make my kitchen feel cozy and special.

Set your goals by asking why cleaning is important to you

Why is cleaning out your kitchen important to you? Is it to detox? Are you cleaning up to eat fresh and lose some extra pounds? Is your goal to eat more organic, plant-based foods? Or are you cleaning out your kitchen to help your family eat healthier? Whatever your goals are they are YOUR goals. The process of cleaning up your kitchen must be purposeful for you in order to remain motivated. Your goals will determine how you will arrange your kitchen and the tools you will buy. Make a list.

Take inventory of everything you have in your kitchen

Start with your cabinets and empty everything out where you can see it. This is where knowing how to read food labels and what to look for, comes in handy. As you eliminate food, you need to pay attention to the food label. If the food label has more than five ingredients, pay close attention to words you do not know or have never heard of. Many toxic ingredients have hidden names that the food industry doesn’t want you to know. If in doubt throw it out.

Always choose fresh food over canned food. Why buy spinach in a can when you can buy it fresh without preservatives? Eating clean means eating clean! Think about how your grandparents ate fresh foods before frozen foods existed – that is what we are going for here.

Find an alternative or to switch to organic, non-GMO (genetically modified foods) options for any foods you use often for cooking and baking that have hidden food additives, dyes and preservatives.

What do I throw out?

I recommend that you toss: old and outdated spices and that contain MSG, chemical salt, preservatives, white flour products (rice cakes, processed oats, white rice, cornmeal, cream of wheat), non-organic oats, cream of wheat products, cornmeal, white sugar, products that contain corn syrup, imitation maple syrup, sauces like BBQ sauce and seasoning sauces with hidden preservatives and sugars, dressings and sauces with additives, soda, white processed breads, bagels and rolls, dairy products, processed meats (chicken nuggets, fish sticks, sausage, hotdogs).

What do I keep?

Keep spices that are pure, preferably organic and still fresh.

Below is a short list of spices to always have on hand for cooking: unsalted seasonings, cardamom, sage, oregano, basil, caraway, cayenne pepper, saffron, turmeric, rosemary, mustard and coriander.

Keep or buy healthy grains: almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour and arrowroot.

Keep these sweet spices: pure maple syrup (non-GMO), pure organic vanilla, flavors of Stevia.

Keep products that are organic like fresh produce, frozen organic berries, grass fed meats, including poultry and fish.

No one can eat perfectly. This elimination process may feel uncomfortable for you – you might feel like you’re “wasting food” by tossing unused items. Any unused items that are still in date and the packaging is still intact can be donated to your local food pantry or charity organization and churches. Remind yourself that you are choosing you and your health over temporary pleasure.

pantry

9 helpful tips for a clean kitchen detox

• Store food in glass, plastic that is BPA free
• Use pots and pans that are cast iron, ceramic or stainless steel
• Whenever possible use cooking utensils that are made of bamboo or wood
• Buy a high-quality blender
• Buy a stand mixer with attachments like a spiralizer
• Buy a food processor
• A high-quality juicer
• A handheld lemon and citrus juicer
• Mason jars are a must, I use them for everything, juices, smoothies, food storage or to transport food
Setting your kitchen up for success to start a health or nutritional protocol is essential. Your kitchen helps to create healthy lifestyle.

For more information visit www.drronideluz.com.

4 Comment

Join the discussion and tell us your opinion.

  1. I love your show! I think it’s hilariously funny!

  2. Hi Steve,
    When are you coming back to TV other than Family Feud? I miss you and your inspirational talks, your excellent advice to everyone. Your audience was just wonderful as well the people that worked on your show. I truly hope it is before too long.

    Many thanks for many hours of pure healthy entertainment.
    Shirley

  3. Thanks for the advice i love it open up my mind for real detox will tell my friends all about it love your show you make me laugh a lot God Bless you and your family.

  4. Thank you for your comment, Celeste! Detoxing is easier than you think! When you are ready to detox, visit our site at http://www.drronideluz.com to get a free recipe ebook. Have a great night!

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