Tricks Of The Nutrition Trade!

by Kris Pitcher

Making nutrition work for you is complicated and has a number of components. Some are tricky, like just exactly what you should eat, in what amounts and when. And others fall more into the "tricks of the trade" category.

If you've fallen off the wagon of eating what's on your plan...it's a good time to talk tricks of the trade. Stand in your kitchen - what do you see. The vantage point might look OK. But throw open the pantry door. Now how does it look?

Spring has come and gone, but that shouldn't stop us from cleaning out the pantry. Take those half empty boxes of crackers, the expired crisp taco shells, the last of the bran cereal no one will eat and let those things go. Anything with "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredient list - bye bye! All those partially used bags of pasta...combine those into one bag or container that you can see into.

Organize your like items together in a system that makes sense for you. Cans in one place, spices in another, teas/drinks, dry goods, grains etc. If you need to see things find a stacking container system. And oh my gosh get rid of all those plastic containers that don't match. A lid with no bottom, seven cool whip containers. We're getting organized here!

Fill the pantry with things ON YOUR PLAN. If chocolate crispy cereal isn't on your plan...guess what? It shouldn't be in the pantry. Not even "just for the kids". The kids can eat Cheerios or Chex, they'll turn out just fine.

This will save you time and money. It saves you time because now you are organized and you can actually see what your options are when you're trying to prepare something. It saves you money because you know what you have and you stop buying the same thing over and over because it's buried.

Now you can stock the pantry with the right items. With just a few essentials you can create a healthy meal in no time. Remember that you are responsible for what comes into the house. Create a successful and organized environment - it's a trick of the nutrition trade!