The new year is all about starting fresh and giving yourself a clean slate. It doesn’t matter where you were last year, the only thing that you need to focus on is where you are right here, right now. Part of being successful in this new journey is to find ways to avoid temptation and set yourself up for success. After all, it took time for you to get to the place where you are in your life and it took time to create the habits that are part of your everyday life. If you have evidence of those past habits around you, it will be very easy for you to fall back into old patterns.
If your new year’s resolution was to start eating healthy, then you will want to take a real inventory of everything that you currently have in our kitchen. Does it fit into your new paleo lifestyle? If not, then it may be best to give it to someone else. Because some of the foods in your kitchen are perishable, it may be a good idea to know what you are planning to do with them as soon as it is removed. For instance, maybe packaged non-organic meats can go to a local food kitchen or to a neighbor.
The best, and easiest, place to start is your cupboards. While this will be the most time-consuming it is also the least stressful as none of the items need to stay cold This allows you to go through things at separate times and sort everything throughout your kitchen without worrying about anything spoiling. Anything that contains grains should go, this includes pasta, bread, cereals, and oatmeal. If you aren’t sure about something, look at the ingredients or google the product to see if it is considered paleo. The same goes for your cooking ingredients and kitchen spices as well. It is always better to be cautious than to unknowingly eat something that is against your new lifestyle.
Next, you will want to move to the fridge. Get rid of anything that is dairy, with the exception of eggs. Things like milk, cheese and butter are things you will no longer need. You will also need to look for things that you might not think of as dairy, like yogurt and mayonnaise. Sodas, processed foods, sweets, and anything with grains should also be removed
Now it is time to move to the freezer. If you have bread in your freezer, that should go. Any processed frozen dinners should go as well. Nonorganic meats should go along with ice cream and sweets. Frozen fruits and vegetables can stay as long as they don’t have any sauces or added ingredients in them.
Once you have all non-paleo items removed from your kitchen, it is time to find them a new ‘home’. Remember, just because these foods don’t serve you anymore does not mean they can’t be used by someone else.
