Healthy kitchen cupboard Spring clean!

Spring, a great time of year to put that ‘spring in your step’, clean out and start afresh. Its renewal time after all, and in tandem with new blooms at that! This is a great season to set time aside to clear the space in your kitchen, to allow a new and healthier you to emerge. But how are you going to do this?

Well, I would like to set you 2 challenges but they can and should be done at any time of year and not just during spring. You will be amazed at how quickly things ‘creep’ back into the kitchen…

Challenge No 1- The clean out!

The saying goes ‘there is no such thing as junk food. There is JUNK and then there is FOOD’. So lets dump the junk! Its quite a commitment and an empowering move- just do it! What ‘foods’ am I talking about? All the processed, refined carbohydrates, sugary sweets and tarts, crisps especially brightly coloured ones that come at a bargain price for a massive packet. The bottled and packet sauces thats main ingredient is some form of sugar or salt. The frozen meat products that don’t have a lot of meat in them and are quite possibly covered in breadcrumbs. The puffy pastries that resemble nothing like the picture advertised. The breakfast cereal that is pure sugar no matter how they dress it up (this is a whole other rant that we don’t have time for now!). The frozen or chilled veggies that are smothered in something cheesy tasting. The nuts that used to be healthy until they were roasted, sugared and coated in chocolate. The massive tin of assorted chocolates that were reduced in price so you bought two! Not to mention the sugary fizz pop and cordials. I think you know what I am talking about…

Challenge No 2- Restocking with the good stuff!

Fridge or freezer:

• Meat such as chicken, duck, turkey, lamb, beef and venison.
• Oily fish such as mackerel, herring and salmon. White fish such as haddock, sea bass, bream and monkfish.
• Seafood such as prawns, crab and squid.
• Organic free range eggs. Cheeses such as cottage cheese, feta, goats cheese and buffalo mozzarella.
• Plant based proteins such as quinoa, chickpeas, beans & lentils, sprouted shoots; alfalfa, pea shoots, sprouted beans.

Veggies:

• Green: broccoli, brussel sprouts, peas, cabbage, courgettes, cucumber, beans, avocado, peppers
• Green leafy: rocket, kale, spinach, watercress, romaine lettuce, coriander
• Red: peppers, red onions, radishes, tomatoes
• Orange/yellow: sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin, squash, swede, peppers
• Dark blue/purple/black: beetroot, cabbage, aubergine
• White: onions, celery, leeks, garlic, cauliflower, cabbage, celeriac, spring onions

Fruit:

• Berries, apples, pears, oranges, clementine, prunes, plums, figs, melon, apricots, kiwi, cherries, pineapple, papaya, pomegranate

Pantry:
Grains:

• Porridge oats
• Brown basmati rice, brown rice or red camargue rice
• Buckwheat or brown rice noodles
• Millet or quinoa
• Wholegrain crackers such as dark Ryvita, Nairns oatcakes or brown rice cakes
• Wholegrain, sourdough or rye breads

Oils:

• Cold-pressed unfiltered extra virgin olive oil
• Hemp oil – sold as ‘good oil’ (not advisable to cook with)
• Flaxseed oil (as dressings only, not advisable to cook with)
• Virgin Coconut oil (excellent option for cooking)
• Nut and seed oils (as dressings only, not advisable to cook with)
• Organic butter

Nuts and seeds:

• Seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, hemp, flax.
• Raw, unsalted nuts; almonds, brazils, macadamia, walnuts, pecans, pinenuts.
• Nut and seed butters such as almond butter, cashew nut butter, pumpkin seed butter and brazil nut butter.

Seasoning:

• Garlic, rosemary, basil, parsley, tarragon, coriander, sage, thyme, dill, paprika, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, chilli, fennel, cumin , nutmeg, dried seaweed, celery salt, Himalayan pink sea salt, black pepper

Drinks:

• Filtered or bottled water (Brita filter for home)
• Herbal and fruit teas (nettle, dandelion, fennel, licorice, camomile, mint), Dandelion root coffee, Rooibos (Redbush) tea
• Nut milk, coconut milk, rice milk, oat milk, quinoa milk, hemp milk.

There you have it! It can’t be much easier than this- use the above list when compiling your shopping list.

Having people round? Make your own Guacamole and Salsa dips using some of your new ingredients!

Nourishing well wishes

Angelique

Consult your doctor or health care practitioner for any health problems, before embarking on any new health regimes, using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications or food programmes.

Part of my work in clinic is to identity and address the root cause which is responsible for the symptoms a client is experiencing. The most common underlying condition I see is unbalanced hormones. Once I noticed that balancing hormones leads to the reduction of so many other symptoms, I knew I had to create a simple plan to help people understand and support their hormones.

Follow the plan

Healthy