Four Tips to Spring Clean Your Kitchen
The annual ritual can make it easier to eat healthy, according to Le Cordon Bleu nutrition expert Lindsey Walder.
Lindsey Walder, a registered dietician, will be writing for Mendota Heights Patch readers on all things nutrition. She shares a love of food and healthy living with her readers and clients.
Lindsey Walder
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Nothing says spring like a vigorous stint of spring cleaning. Like me, reorganizing your closet or scouring the bathrooms might top your to-do list each spring, but let’s not forget the kitchen. Spring is the perfect time to makeover and transform this room into one that will support your healthy eating and weight loss efforts, not hinder them.
As a dietitian who practices what she preaches, I stay vigilant about keeping my kitchen full of healthy options and allowing select few not-so-healthy treats in at any given time. I also keep a mental inventory of food items I have on hand, making sure to use those whose freshness will expire first. So, I am fortunate that the kitchen is one room I can usually check off my spring cleaning list. Could your kitchen use a good spring cleaning? Check out my tips below.
Tip 1: Seek and destroy old and unhealthy foods.
No one likes to waste food, but when it comes to your health, purging the stuff is usually the best solution. Stashes of candy in random drawers, highly processed food items you certainly can live without and empty-calorie snack foods that usually eaten mindlessly are best just tossed. Whether you are a dietitian or not, I am guessing you know which foods you should not be eating in excess—these items have to go. Unspoiled foods that you decide to clear out can be donated to your local food bank so they do not go to waste.
Tip 2: Survey your spices.
Herbs and spices are an important feature in any kitchen, whether you cook healthy or not. During your kitchen clean-up, go through your spice cabinet and toss out the stale-smelling ones. Then purchase some new if you need to. Keep in mind that it is recommended not to buy more than a year’s supply of ground herbs and spices. If you are not used to using herbs and spices, the following are some of the easiest ones to start incorporating into your meals: cumin, black pepper, basil, cinnamon, thyme, chili powder, and red pepper flakes. Any good chef knows that herbs and spices naturally bring life to foods. Do a little experimenting and try something new!
Tip 3: Stock up with the healthy stuff.
Fact: you cannot eat what isn’t in your house. Thus, by making sure at least 80 percent of the foods you have on hand are healthier options, you set yourself up for success. Healthy kitchen staples like canned beans, whole-wheat pasta, nuts and nut butters, brown and wild rice, olive oil, canned tomatoes, dried fruit, and rolled oats should command your pantry shelves. Always have a good variety of fresh and frozen vegetables and fruits ready and available to eat or use in recipes. Keep your fridge supplied with lean poultry and fish, low-fat dairy or soymilk, hummus, and fresh eggs. A little planning will ensure that you always have the ingredients on hand to make a quick and healthy meal.
Tip 4: Read and proceed.
Buy a healthy cooking-themed magazine or cookbook or find healthy recipes online. Nothing inspires you to eat healthy more than browsing mouthwatering recipes that are also better for you. If you are skeptical that healthy cooking can also taste good, I challenge you to get into your newly made-over kitchen and find out! In addition to recipes, healthy cooking magazines and cookbooks often offer essential tips for cooking and preparing great-tasting, healthier fare. Choose a cookbook that has calories, fats, fiber, protein, and sodium listed for each portion. It is wise to know exactly what you will be eating.
What other kitchen-cleansing tricks do you have?
Tell us in the comments.
rdkatym
1:18 pm on Monday, April 4, 2011
For Shame Ms. Walder. I am an RD who is employed by a food bank. How dare you suggest that the calories/junk food that you urge your readers to purge from their own kitchens are perfectly find to donate to a food bank. When was the last time you read about the nutrition plught of the hungry in America? Let me fill you in. The Hunger-Obesity Paradox is showing us that more of this nation's hungry are OBESE! They are purcahsing empty calories ecause they can afford them and they're more filling for their food dollar. The hunry in America have much higher rates of Hypertension, Diabetes and Heart Disease.
It is pure ignorance that you would suggest that foods that aren't good enough to meet a high nutrition standard should go to a food bank.
Lindsey Walder, MS RD LD
11:26 pm on Thursday, April 7, 2011
Ms. RDKatyM,
Thank you for your comment. I do not believe that junk food is "perfectly fine" to donate to food banks. I am well aware of the hunger-obesity paradox that exists in this country having worked extensively with low-income populations, supplemental food assistance programs, and food banks. I went back and forth on whether or not to include that tip in my article--personally, I would simply dispose of less healthy items and empty-calorie foods. However, based on experience with weight-loss clients in my private practice, I know that for many of them, simply throwing out food (healthy or not) is extremely difficult to do. For this reason, I chose to include the statement that unspoiled foods could be donated to a food bank if the thought of having them go to waste was upsetting. Since you are an RD working in a food bank, I would be extremely interested in your recommendations on what you believe people SHOULD do in this circumstance. I hope you will provide some insight on this for both my readers and myself.
Thank you!
Lindsey Walder
Barb
9:17 pm on Sunday, April 10, 2011
I feel it is the responsibility of the people working at the food bank to make the decision as to what food will be set out and given away. I'm sure many donations given to the bank aren't nutritionally good so is RDKATYM saying that she has NEVER handed out a bag of white flour noodles?