Step One to a Healthier Kitchen

Step 1 to a healthier you: 

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE EATING.

This one does not take much effort and does not cost a thing, but

you can't take control of your body unless you realize what's going into it.

you must READ LABELS!

I challenge you to open up your pantry and every time you pull something out, turn it around and read the ingredient list. 

Some of them may be a pleasant surprise but some of them might shock you. 

My quick rule is that I try and limit the food we buy to 5 or less ingredients and 

that I should be able to pronounce them all. 

You can't always keep it under 5 ingredients but just by reading labels and 

making better choices you can significantly improve the quality of things going into your body 

and that can really ONLY be a good thing!

If you pick up to products on the same shelf in the store and compare them it is not hard to see which choice is better. For example here is the ingredient list on a popular bag of chips: 

 That's a whole lot of ingredients in that bag. Right next door though I found these:

 

Which list of things would you rather eat? 

For me that's an easy choice but I know sometimes it's hard to let go of something you are used to eating. I really truly believe that taste buds can change though. Once you start eating things with real ingredients it won't take long before that is what you want and crave and all that manufactured stuff just tastes yucky!

Sometimes it might mean taking an extra step to make a better choice. 

For example you could buy this pre-shredded cheese:

 

with it's added starch and cellulose and preservatives....

OR

you could buy this chunk cheese right underneath it and grate it yourself:

It doesn't cost you any more money, just a few minutes of your time to pull out the grater and a little elbow grease. For me the difference is totally worth the effort plus I can buy the chunk cheese in bulk from a warehouse store and grate half of it and then chunk or slice the rest to use as quick snacks, on sandwiches or throw in my daughters lunch's. 

So start looking at labels and trade off at least 2 items for better choices on your next trip to the store. 

(and of course please feel free to leave me a comment here or on our facebook page if you find an awesome replacement for an old standby!) I think it adds a super fun element to shopping now and I even let the kids help! Have fun and go out the and take the first step!! 

 

REMEMBER- you can't make big changes without taking small ones!