Revamp Your Kitchen for Weight Loss Success

When it comes to eating healthy, there is almost always a battle. Don’t fret - it is a battle we can win. We often sabotage ourselves with the things that we keep in our home. Eating healthy is twice as hard when all you stare at each day is sweets and fattening food. Give yourself a break and make it easier by cleaning out that kitchen.

First, take inventory of the entire kitchen. We normally think about what we have in the fridge because we are always in there. My kids can open the door and stand there for five minutes trying to decide what they want to eat. You would think we had the entire supermarket in there as difficult as it is for them to choose some times.

We neglect the cupboards and other hiding places. You might say that the cupboard is full of canned foods and bags of this or bags of that. But, what is in those bags and is it good for you? If not, they need to be exchanged for better food choices.

Take a can of soup for instance. If it has more than 1,000 milligrams of sodium, or salt, per serving, that is too much. The body only needs two grams of salt a day. Half of that is in your soup. Instead, choose lower sodium varieties or better yet, make some homemade soup and skip the salt.

I’m going to pick on pasta for a minute. We all love pasta. It goes well with a variety of meats and sauces and is easy to fix when you are in a hurry. Pasta made from enriched white flour is not good for you. It goes straight to the hips. Substitute whole wheat pasta and keep your blood sugar on an even keel.

I keep my cereal boxes on top of my refrigerator. The kids love pre-sweetened cereal. It is tasty, but we can make better choices for ourselves and our children. Now I get Honey Bunches of Oats and other cereals that have more nutritious ingredients. There is just enough of a hint of honey and cinnamon to sweeten the cereal but also give my kids their needed amount of fiber for the day.

Eating vegetables is better than drinking them. For one thing, a glass of apple juice will stick to my ribs exactly ten seconds before I want something more substantial. An apple or an orange will last a lot longer than that. Hopefully until it is time to eat lunch or dinner. Lighten up on the juices and buy more fresh fruit. To keep it fresh longer, place fruit in a wicker bowl in a cool dry place where it’s easily accessible when those cravings hit.

To help make your weight loss a successful journey, ask yourself what’s in your kitchen. Your answer could very well be the thing that is keeping you from reaching your weight loss goals. Take inventory and clean out those foods that are not in your healthy eating plan.