TOM: Pantry Raid

Do you ever hear a friend or family member say, "I`m getting healthy....you know...I buy all organic foods and stuff."  OR how about, "I`m putting my family on a diet...we`re going to Whole Foods tomorrow to get the food for it."

NEWS FLASH #1: Buying your groceries at Whole Foods doesn`t guarantee weight loss....or a nutritious diet. Are the apples at Whole Foods any different nutritionally from those at Kroger or Wal-Mart?  No.

NEWS FLASH #2: Buying all organic foods does not automatically make you healthy.  Example?  If I eat an entire box of Annie`s Organic Bunnie Grahams, have I really done anything spectacular for my body?  No. I`ve put in way too many calories and sugar. BUT...they`re organic cookies!  So what?  They are still a carbohydrate that needs to be consumed in moderation.

Maintaining good health and a nutritious diet requires balance. It also requires practicality.  Organic = more expensive.  Organic does not automatically = more nutritious.  So should you really make buying organic food your sole grocery focus?  My advice is to make your #1 goal: getting the right balance of nutrients in your body on a daily basis.  How can you do this and make permanent diet changes that will last?  Start simple!  Look in your own pantry and go from there.  Just like Rome wasn`t built in a day...lifestyle changes don`t happen overnight. Small changes to your grocery list and methods of food preparation involve a little knowledge, no extra cost, and an open mind.

PANTRY
Cereals:
Toss out anything that has less than 3g fiber per serving.  Replace with cereals that do!
Starches:
Replace white rice with brown rice.
Replace white pasta for 100% whole wheat pasta.
Replace instant potatoes with fresh ones
Canned Goods:
If you buy a lot of these to cook with, rinse them in a colander before doing so to remove extra sodium!
OR
Replace with the low sodium versions.
Baking Ingredients:
Replace plain white flour with 100% whole wheat flour
Pre-packaged Foods:
Replace these items with homemade versions if at all possible.
If cooking/baking is not your thing, choose snack foods that are high in fiber (5g or more per serving), low in fat (3g or less per serving), and cholesterol free.

FRIDGE
Beverages:
Replace sodas with calorie free beverages.
OR
Replace with purified or bottled water.
Toss out any juice or juice products that aren`t 100% fruit juice.
Milk:
Replace whole milk for 1% or skim.


FREEZER
Ice Cream:
Replace premium for frozen yogurt or "double churned" versions.
Meats:
Make sure any ground beef is 85% lean or more.
Replace ground turkey with ground turkey breast. (A LOT less fat!!!)
Replace and pre-breaded or skin-on chicken with boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Replace any pre-breaded fish with frozen fillets (not pre-breaded).

FOOD-PREP
Baked Goods:
When at all possible, use a fat replacement: apple sauce in place of oil in a cake, 1 T flax seed mill in 3 T water in place of an egg.
Use whole wheat flour in place of white flour.
Casseroles:
Replace regular cheeses with the 2% version.
Reduce the amount of cheese if feasible (typically, recipes call for too much anyway!)
Replace whole milk with 1% or skim.
Cooking Methods for Meat:
Always opt for roasting, basting, or baking over frying.

Source: My own personal pantry raid! :)