Do It Yourself Healthy Kitchen Makeover

What we eat is the basis for living a healthy life. See how you can transform your kitchen into a place that fully supports the wellness and thriving of you and your family. This will give you the peace of mind to know that you are providing your body and your family’s with the best sources of nutrition possible through what you eat and drink each day. As Hippocrates said, “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.” Gaining the nutrition that we need from our foods can prevent illness and disease in our lives.

Cleaning Up Your Kitchen

The first step in having a healthy kitchen is to remove the unhealthy items from your pantry, cabinets and refrigerator. Think of it as a cleaning or purging process, which is exactly what you your body is going to have to do as well. Remember that much of what you are getting rid of is probably not health-promoting at all, so it is not as if you are throwing away good food. Those nacho cheese puffs, chips, cookies, candy, and crackers are so non-nutritious and contain so many toxic chemicals that it is best to simply let them go rather than trying to eat up for fear of wasting good valuable food. It is like saying goodbye to an old, unhealthy way of life and making room for a new, healthy way of living to enter. If you still have the old foods in the kitchen there won’t be room at bring in the new, healthy ones.

So, make it a family affair if you wish. Teach everyone how to read the labels and know what they are looking for and why they are not going to eat those products anymore. Give them an idea of the great tasting, nutritious foods that will be coming as soon as room is made.

With that done, let’s begin with shopping lists, both what to look for and what to avoid in the foods you purchase from the store or market.

What To Buy

Always look for the most pure, whole, nutrition-packed foods possible.

Animal products: 

•  Grass-fed beef and the diary they produce 
•  Wild caught fish 
•  Eggs from organic, pastured chickens 
• Dairy products in which the animals have not been treated with or fed growth hormones, antibiotics, other medications
• Poultry from free range, organic animals

     

   Grains: 

•  Whole grains only without added chemicals and sugars 
•  Avoid gluten containing grains, such as wheat, barley and rye

   Vegetables and Fruits:

•  Unwaxed, untreated organic veggies and fruits. 

•  Dried fruits with no added preservatives (sulfites, etc)

   Nuts and seeds: 

• You can buy these in bulk and choose which ones you want.
•  Note: Soaked seeds and nuts are easier to digest because germinating deactivates the enzyme inhibitors. You can soak them yourself if you buy raw ones. Then, dehydrate them on a low heat until crunchy again. 
• Peanut, almond, sunflower and cashew butter without added sugar and salt

   Beverages: 

• Spring water. Many bottled waters are simply tap water in a bottle.  This means they could have chlorine, fluoride, and all of the other contaminants and chemicals added to whatever tap water source from which they are derived.
• Juice. You can make your own juice by using a juicer, which means that it is more fresh and contains more nutrients. If buying, choose and unfiltered apple juice and other juices in glass bottles rather than boxes or plastic containers, which leach chemicals into the juice.
• Others. If you really want something carbonated, choose a natural one with natural colors, flavors and sweeteners. Or better yet, use plain, organic fruit juice and add some sparkling spring water.

    Oils and Fats: 

• Not all oils are equal, and some can create harmful, toxic elements when heated.  The safest and best oils for using with heat are coconut oil and safflower or sunflower oil. Another good fat for cooking over heat is ghee (look for sources from grass-fed organic animals). Coconut oil is anti-fungal, full of beneficial fats, tastes great and can be used for heat cooking as well as eaten raw. Cold pressed olive oil contains beneficial fats and should be used raw (not heated) only. 
• Be sure to add avocados and coconut oils to your diet for the beneficial fats they contain. If you can tolerate dairy, grass fed butter is great, too.

    Sweeteners: 

• Use natural sweeteners like stevia, maple syrup and coconut crystals. Stevia will not affect blood sugar, and therefore is one of the most safe sweeteners to use.

    Superfoods: 

• Some foods have been shown to be so full of health promoting nutrients that they have been labelled as super foods. Some examples of these foods include (but are not limited to):

Chia seeds, flax seeds, blueberries, gogi berries, wheat grass, alfalfa (use organic only to avoid GMOs), acai berries, coconut oil, olive oil, green leafy vegetables (spinach, dandelion greens, kale, watercress, parsley, chard, lettuce, endive, chicory, broccoli sprouts and mustard sprouts), noni, coconut, raw cacao (unprocessed cocoa), chlorella, wheat grass, seaweeds, aloe vera

Where To Shop

Check online in your area for natural food stores and farmers markets.  Buying local is good for your body, the economy, and the environment.  You will most likely not be able to buy all of your healthy foods at your local grocery store, so do not feel like you are stuck having to each just what is there. Search online for health food stores in your area. If there is not one very close by, but still within accessibility, make a trip every other week just for the special things that you need that you can only find there and stock up on non-perishables.

You can order many products online such as coconut oil, grass fed bison and beef, wild caught salmon, almond and coconut flours, natural sweeteners, organic cereals and gluten-free breads. You can also order appliances for your kitchen online.

Some of good online shopping destinations for healthy foods include: 

• Tropical Traditions – for coconut oil, coconut flour, grass fed meats, and other natural products 
• US Wellness Meats – for grass fed, organic meats 
• Vital Choice Seafood – wild caught salmon without mercury or contaminants 
•  Amazon 
• Just Tomatoes – freeze dried fruits and veggies 
• The Raw Food World Store– for raw, vegan foods, and appliances such as juicers and dehydrators, etc. 
• Vegan Essentials – vegan (non-dairy, no eggs or meats) food and products

Appliances

Having the right tool for the job is important when preparing foods.  Although microwaves are convenient and quick ways to heat and cook food, they destroy nutrients and produce dangerous radiation.  Here are some good appliances and tools to have in your kitchen so that you can create great recipes.

·      Dehydrator – Excalibur 9 tray is ideal as you can also make yogurt in it.

·      Food Processor

·      High-Power Blender – Blendtec or Vitamix is recommended

·      Juicer  - juicing fruits and vegetables provides your body access to all of the nutrients without expending extra energy to digest the foods.  Slow speed juicers have been shown to result in more nutrients extracted from green veggies.

·      Glass Mason Jars and glass containers of different sizes for storing foods

·    Pots, pans, and baking sheets, which are not treated with non-stick chemicals - non-stick chemicals leach toxins into your food and into the air when you cook.

·    Toaster oven – you can heat and cook small quantities of food without having to turn on the big oven or use a microwave.

·      Glass containers with lids for storing foods