Set Yourself Up for Success - Self-Guided Pantry Audit

Are you frustrated or feeling as though you're at a standstill when it comes to your health and wellness goals? Does your motivation come and go? Finding yourself getting into the "extras" a bit more often than you'd like? If so, it may be time for a self-guided pantry audit. Having those not so healthy snacks on hand may be just the temptation that's keeping you away from making progress.

If your kitchen is stocked with the makings for healthy meals and snacks, on the other hand, you'll easily stay on track, even when those late-night cravings strike.

So what should you keep on hand and what should be banned?

Use the following suggestions to sort out your pantry to set yourself up for success:

Your Refrigerator
Let's start with the fridge, which is essentially the heart of your kitchen. If you find something in your fridge that is on the "Disgard this" list, then you know what you have to do. 

• Disgard this: Beverages with high fructose corn syrup, sugar or artificial sweeteners. Drinking calories is one of the quickest ways to gain weight, so quickly rid your fridge of any beverage that contains high fructose corn syrup or sugar on the ingredient list. Artificially sweetened beverages have also been linked to weight gain due to the fact that they cause heightened sugar cravings.
• Replace with: Water or sodium-free seltzer. It is a well-known fact that most people are partially dehydrated, a condition that is harmful to your health and wreaks havoc on your weight loss efforts. Keep plenty of cold water and/or seltzer on hand for proper hydration. Need more flavor? Add frozen fruit such as grapes or berries to your beverage for a refreshing treat!
• Disgard this: Fatty meats. It is important that you be selective about the cuts of meat that you eat. Chicken is a great source of protein, but if you take that as a license to eat fried chicken everyday, the benefit of the protein will be lost in all the extra fat calories.
• Replace with: Lean meats. Skinless chicken breast, lean ground turkey, white fish – there are numerous choices when it comes to lean meats.
• Disgard this: Fruit-flavored yogurt. I hate to break this to you, but that convenient individually packaged yogurt is going to do more harm to your waistline than you think. More than 50% of the calories in fruit-flavored yogurt come from sugar. Check out the ingredient list and you'll likely find both high fructose corn syrup AND sugar. Do a little math and it gets worse: 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon. Some of these have 8 teaspoons. Wow! See for yourself
• Replace with: Plain low or non-fat yogurt, Greek yogurt, or low-fat cottage cheese. If you love yogurt, then opt for the low or non-fat plain version. You can even chop up some fresh fruit and stir it in. Try frozen fruit and let it sit more bit. The juices from the frozen fruit will seep into the yogurt! Another option is to have 1/2 cup of low-fat cottage cheese with chopped fruit on top. Both Greek and low-fat cottage cheese are a great source of protein, which will help keep you fuller longer!

Your Pantry
This may be the most painful part of your kitchen audit, since most junk food is found here. This may be a good time to give yourself a pep talk. When you're ready, grab that garbage bag and open your pantry.

• Disgard this: Sugar-filled cereal. If sugar or high fructose corn syrup are listed as one of the first five ingredients on your cereal box, it's got to go. Sugar-filled cereal is basically another form of junk food, and will only add inches to your waist. Stick to high fiber options such as Kashi Go Lean.
• Replace with: Whole Grain Oatmeal. There is a huge difference between instant, sugar-filled oatmeal and whole grain oatmeal. Prepare your oatmeal the night before or at the beginning of the week for a quick breakfast or post-exercise snack during your week. Add pure vanilla extract and cinnamon as natural sweeteners. Not sweet enough for you? Make with low or non-fat milk and add fresh fruit or raisins for another natural way to sweeten your meal.
• Disgard this: Chips/Crackers. While refined chips and crackers are fun to munch on, the extra calories will quickly add up. Do yourself a favor by not allowing these into your pantry.
• Replace with: Almonds or other unsalted nuts. The key to making this snack a winner is to practice portion control. Place a handful of almonds into individual bags for preportioned snacks. One once of almonds (approximately 24) is a serving. Combine with 2 tbsp unsweetened dried fruit and 1/2 cup air-popped popcorn for a filling and high-fiber snack.
• Disgard this: Packaged Sweets. You don't want to make a habit of cookies, cakes, candies and ice cream being part of your regular dietary intake, so keep them out of your house. It's one thing to enjoy a dessert once in a while, but it's quite another to routinely eat processed sweets at home. If you're wanting ice cream, treat yourself by going out for a cup or cone. Enjoy a cookie at a get together. Having them in the house is too much of a temptation and can quickly become an after-meal or snacking habit.
• Replace with: Unsweetened dried Fruit. When you want to munch on something sweet, turn to a small handful of dried fruit. Make sure that you purchase dried fruit that does not contain added sugars. To keep you more full, think combination. Include a food with some protein such as a low or non-fat Greek yogurt, cheese stick, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, or 1 oz of unsalted nuts.

It's a great idea to perform this audit of your kitchen every couple of months as a way of keeping yourself on track.

Be sure to discuss your intentions with your family members as well. Make sure they know and understand the healthy changes that you're working on making. You may be surprised to hear that others are willing to help you or eat healthier too!

Healthy wishes,

Marilyn, Maura, Jessica & Alissa

Your Vermont State Employees' Wellness Team