Spring Clean Your Diet (and your Kitchen)

Happy Spring!

We all know I hate diets. I am the anti diet dietitian, after all.:) I have to share why I used the word diet in this title. Just to show that the word "diet" does not have to do with losing weight. If a was a vegan and followed a vegan diet, that does not mean I am on a diet to lose weight. Are you guys picking up what I am throwing down? So here is what I want you guys to do. Spring clean your fridge. Yes, take out every drawer, shelf, shelves and put them through the dishwasher/ or clean in sink. Get rid of any items that are expired. Remember, if a product reads "Sell by date xx-xx-xxxx", you actually have 2 weeks after that date to still consume the product. That is information for the store to keep records. Yes, they have to sell it by that date, but you do not have to throw away the product. Tons of food and money gets wasted each year because of semantics ( and lack of consumer education.) Hope this helps? Clean and wipe down the shelves too. Always have frozen water bottles in your freezer at all times. You can place the frozen bottle at the bottom of your cooler or lunch bag. Once it melts, drink some ice cold water. Next, Defrost that freezer. It will work more efficiently, after it is defrosted. Add some baking soda to your fridge and freezer. Go through your cabinets (same rule as above) and get rid of any expired items. Keep a large container of infused ice water on hand ( add peeled ginger, watermelon, lemon and or basil or whatever you like.) So nice on a warm spring day. Store lots of fruits and vegetables and try and make a habit of having 2 fruits daily and a half a plate of vegetables at dinner every night. Make 3 small goals (Examples): 1. I will walk 20,000 steps per day, if I want real results I will do some real work. 2. Promise yourself you will eat those 2 fruits every day and not waste them. 3. As always, "Keep it a 5". :) Take Good Care, XO Meg