My Three Easy Tips to Spring Clean Your Kitchen and Diet

Decluttering your Kitchen

Have you started your spring cleaning yet? This is the perfect opportunity to set aside time to clean up both your kitchen and your diet. Once you declutter and clean your kitchen, you’ll find it easier to store and cook nutrient-packed foods to energize your diet, keeping you on track with healthy living.

Tip One

Toss out highly processed items in your freezer, refrigerator and pantry that might have been your go-to comfort foods while hibernating this winter. Replace them with delicious nutrient-dense foods to keep you energized all spring long. One fact that nutrition and food scientists have known for decades is that a diet of minimally processed foods, including a variety of plants, is not only a healthy diet option, but promotes a healthy planet.

Tip Two

Store healthy foods on the top shelves of the refrigerator so you immediately see them when you open the refrigerator door. Keep your gut ecosystem humming along by eating fermented foods daily, including yogurt, sauerkraut and kimchi. All contain a variety of probiotics which are beneficial bacteria for our digestive tract to maintain healthy immune and gastrointestinal systems, while reducing inflammation.

Tip Three

Store small appliances (toasters, juicers, coffee bean grinders) in cupboards or the pantry when you are not using them. This allows for extra food prep counter space for healthy nutrient-dense meals. Prep more salmon to energize your brain with omega-3 fatty acids DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). Adequate intake of DHA and EPA are fundamental to proper brain function, including cognitive ability and balanced moods. Eat at least two servings of fish per week to increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids.

Final Thought

I’ve always promoted that you need to create a supportive environment to make sure healthy habits stick. And that includes your physical surroundings – the most important being your kitchen. Choosing nutritious foods to energize your body has always been a piece of my mind-body healthy lifestyle equation: energy = food + fitness + sleep. Now that spring is here, it’s time to declutter your kitchen and energize your diet!