15 Foods To Banish From Your Kitchen

Vowing to lose weight, eat better, and start an exercise program come the first of January? Good for you. This is a great time of year to shift away from processed, sugar and fat heavy foods, and raise the quality of your meals. I have found the best way to begin is to clear the temptation foods off the pantry shelves and out of the refrigerator and restock with just what you need to achieve your goals. To this end I have provided a list to identify the foods you should eliminate.

1. Pasteurized, Homogenized Milk: there’s a raw milk movement steam rolling across this country because of the health issues caused by commercial milk. Buying organic is a better choice, but eliminating milk from your diet would be ideal.

2. White Bread: with nothing to commend it nutritionally, buy organic whole grain bread made without enriched flours and do your intestines a favor.

3. Vegetable Oils: blended from seeds and plants, oils are an important part of your daily diet so choose ones that are non-GMO and grown organically. A few examples to buy are: extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, and ghee (clarified butter).

4. Mac & Cheese box: an inexpensive and quick favorite for children and adults alike, but opt for the organic whole grain or dairy-free version of M&C. Better still make your own from scratch.

5. Canned Soups: most are loaded with sodium and questionable oils. Go instead with low sodium, organic soups in aseptic containers.

6. Peanut Butter with additives: with 16 grams of fat per 2 tablespoons why indulge your senses in dangerous partially hydrogenated fats when you can enjoy real nut butters without the added sugars and salt. Explore the raw nut butters for a nutritious treat.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Simone S.

10:51AM PDT on Apr 5, 2013

ótimo texto, vale a leitura!

April 5
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Melania P.

1:55PM PST on Nov 21, 2012

Thanks for posting, great info! Happy to say I avoid most of them :)

November 21
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richa b.

9:41AM PDT on Apr 6, 2012

informative..thanks for sharing :)

April 6
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Eternal G.

5:58PM PST on Jan 29, 2012

Check 15 times.

January 29
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Iona K.

3:47AM PST on Jan 13, 2012

It's so funny the little idiocyncracies and naughty foods each of us covet. I discovered a fair trade organic coffee that tastes great and costs the same as other coffees in my local mainstream supermarket, I couldn't believe it! I can't stand instant foods, though from time to time a premade sauce is a time and energy saver. My eggs come from my backyard, you can't get fresher than that! But i can't do fresh milk. Even when I had a close friend who was a dairy farmer, he would come in in the morning with a pail for his house fresh from the cow, I could barely stand to have it in my coffee, something about it just freaked me out. Weird I know.

January 13
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Cheryl H.

3:37AM PST on Jan 13, 2012

Beware of soy products. Most soymilks are GM and they can inhibit thyroid function. For more info on that, go to www.mercola.com. Almond or hemp milks are better. Some are organic and guaranteed non-GMO. Big Ag is ruining our food supply. The destruction of our topsoil through use of chemicals and pesticides is rendering much of our food worthless in terms of nutrition. No wonder so many are sick. Livestock is raised under cruel and unhealthy conditions. Even our pets can become fat because of the corn that is added to many pet foods that are found in grocery stores. Dogs and cats would not even eat corn under normal conditions. Any processed food that contains corn syrup, especially high-fructose corn syrup is best avoided. Nearly all the corn products that are added to processed food such as chips or tortillas are GM unless the food is certified USDA organic. We all must fight to have GM foods labeled and to insist on a healthy, sustainable food supply.

Ruerd V.

3:02AM PST on Jan 13, 2012

Rigth on, i grew up on a farm drinking raw milk, untill i moved to the city and eventually forego on drinking milk. Instead i use soy milk and bio sour milk.
Furthermore a while ago i started using coconut oil after i read that it does wonders to stop alzheimers. There is even a medicine based on coconut oil against alzheimers.
And i practically gave up peanut butter, the rare occasions i do use it i buy organic peanut butter.

Ann F.

12:22AM PST on Jan 13, 2012

Don't drink coffee very often (perhaps twice a week when having lunch out) Don't know what 'mac n cheese' is! (I live in Australia! ) Don't use sugar, sweetners or eat white bread (only multigrain). I love my cheese and real cow's milk (not that I have them often.)

Debbie C.

6:25PM PST on Jan 8, 2012

It looks like my pantry will be bare when I clear out all these items. LOL.