“The simplest way to make healthful cooking a breeze is to have the right items on hand,” says Crystal Jarvie, Health Coach at HealthStyles 4 You. Before you stock up on healthy foods to make your meals, you’ll want to clean out your pantry and your fridge. Here are Crystal’s steps to detox your kitchen:

1. Take everything out of the pantry and refrigerator.
2. Throw out anything that is expired. When you purchase new products, place new products behind the older food in the pantry and refrigerator.
3. Throw away anything with more than five ingredients. Packaged foods with a short list of ingredients are typically healthier and more natural. However, if the first ingredient is sugar or high fructose corn syrup, it’s not a healthy option. Ditch it!
4. Toss anything with artificial ingredients or dyes. You should be able to recognize and pronounce the ingredients listed.
5. Remove items that are in plastic containers and store them in class containers or mason jars. Many plastics contain BPA, which can affect our hormones.
6. Organize your pantry:
   • Label each glass storage container. You can use chalkboard labels so you can easily write and erase.
   • Use baskets, lazy Susans, magazine racks or other organizing tools to make the food in your pantry easily accessible.

Now that your kitchen has been “detoxed,” make sure you restock your shelves with only the BEST ingredients for healthful meals. Print a copy of the HealthStyles 4 You grocery list (PDF) and take it with you on your next trip to the grocery store. For more great information on eating and living healthy, visit www.healthstyles4you.com.