Anyone who is embracing the values of minimalism and living a more simple life will eventually get to the point where they ask themselves if health is important to them. Many people would say, "Of course health is important," but to really believe that, it would have to be one of your true values. You would decide to exercise and eat right. You'd have to decide it was worth it to put in the effort it takes to get moving, keep moving, and fuel your body with better choices. Today we'll talk about decluttering your home's food. Sometimes eating better is simply a matter of keeping temptation at a distance. If you don't bring it into your home - and you have to make an effort to get up and physically go get it - it keeps you from eating what you shouldn't, at least, less often.
So where do you start? Baby steps. I'm not suggesting you drop everything, pull everything out of your cabinets, fridge and freezer, read all the labels on them, and enter into a two hour project with this. Instead, let's start with very simple basics: What do you already know will absolutely add no nutritional value nor healthy fuel to your body? Chips, Ice cream, pre-packaged foods like chicken nuggets and hamburger helper type boxes, soda pop, candy...you're smart enough to know what's considered "junk food". Start with getting rid of what you have on hand. Living a simple life that's healthier means once these things are out, just don't buy them again. Statistics show most people purchase almost all the same items on a rotating basis and rarely try something new. Their habits have them repurchasing bad food...well, it's not really even food, is it?
Now that you've eliminated the real junk, what do you do when you crave those things? What can you buy instead that won't taste like air or like twigs and grass? Here's some alternatives, although some are very comparable in price, a few of these are higher priced but with good reason considering the health benefits and quality of ingredients used.
1. Chips - What if you switched to a healthier chip? There are so many veggie chips on the market now choices are better than ever. No longer does it have to be a potato dropped in cheap oil with lots of trans fats. Pringles makes a lowfat good tasting chip that's better for you than some of the health food looking ones. What if you switched to pita chips? or a kettle chip with no unhealthy ingredients or oils? It's a small switch so it's an easier, more doable option. If you're willing to take it a step further, you could satisfy crunchy/salty cravings with Nut Thins, gluten-free crackers made from nut flours instead of wheat. Switch to a corn chip with salsa or hummus - like the chips & salsa kind, not the kind you'd make nachos out of or Fritos corn chips.
2. Ice cream - This is a newer option that's out there - Halo Top and Enlightened brands of ice cream. They use natural, often organic ingredients, the whole pint container often has less calories than typical ice cream. The Halo Top has lots of PROTEIN added, which is a wonderful addition since snacks should always start with a protein and either a little fat or a little healthy carbs added. Also they are naturally sweetened with little to no sugar. The Enlightened comes in pints and bars on a stick. It's flavored with Stevia and monk fruit. The Halo Top uses a stevia and erythritol. Both are plants, the latter is found in fruits like pears and grapes. Being a sugar alcohol, the erythritol won't cause bloating or blood glucose levels. The Enlightened use the same sweeteners as well. Both stevia and erythritol have zero calories too. These two brands of ice cream are sometimes hard to find (look in the pints only, then maybe in the bars section for enlightened on a stick), they're more expensive because the sweeteners are more expensive and ingredients are better. In my area, a pint of quality ice cream (not the cheap store brands) runs about $3, closer to $5 for Haagan Daas, and I pay anywhere from $5 - $5.50 for Halo Top and Enlightened, although I'm more likely to wait until one of them is on sale for about $3-$3.50.
3. Pre-Packaged Foods - I know many people are so busy they think they don't have time to cook, but there are some great short cuts that could help you buy less boxed/frozen meals. You could cut up veggies on your day off and store them in the fridge for mid-week shortcuts. You could make any pasta in just a few minutes, dump in a jar of sauce, throw in a handful of your precut veggies, and it's many times healthier than a box of say Hamburger Helper because you don't have all the chemicals and cheap fillers they use, less sodium, and you control the flavor by what spices/herbs you add - or you could boil rice in broth instead of water and do the same thing. You could buy thin cut chicken breasts, cut into thin strips or cubes and they'll fry up in just a few minutes. Add your favorite spices or marinade and you've got flavorful food without all the added junk that makes it unhealthy. Lunches a problem? Instead of buying a box that's mostly just pasta with barely any protein and quality side veggies, make your own lunches using one of those compartmented storage containers. They sell them at dollar stores along with grocery and department stores now so they're cheap and easy to find. Fill one with a little leftover meat from the night before, another with cubed cheese, another with chopped veggies or small fruits like berries and grapes, then give yourself a SMALL treat like adding a single sized treat, or a yogurt, or a piece of real fruit if there's only veggies in your container.
4. Soda Pop - There are some great tasting flavored seltzer waters without any added sugar or artificial sweeteners in them. You just need to take a few minutes to look at brands you don't habitually buy. There's a great soda pop brand called Zevia. Again, it's a bit more than the cheap junk ones out there, but it's flavored with stevia and fruit, no calories, and almost all of them are clear, so no artificial colors either. Brand name sodas run around $3-$4 here, Zevia can be as low as $3 on sale in major grocery stores, and up to $6 at smaller health food stores.
5. Candy - Okay, candy is going to be junk food, even if you buy it in a health food store. It still will contain some type of sugar and/or corn syrup, but you can choose some brands without artificial flavors, or they use no added chemicals. You can find everything from organic gummy worms to unsweetened dark chocolate, with lots in between there. There's also a lot of healthy candy look-alike recipes on Pinterest.com that use stevia or other healthier ingredients instead of usual stuff. I make a version of Payday candies that taste just as good but are many times healthier and it only takes about 10 minutes on the stove and time in the fridge to set up. Be creative. Use the internet to search out recipes for your favorite flavors.
Taking your health more seriously will lead to living a more simple life because ignoring your health will eventually lead to lots of complications, medications, side effects, more serious health risks, financial stress, and you'll lose quality of life. The way to live simply today is by taking baby steps today towards a healthier tomorrow.
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