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The art of the kitchen detox
A kitchen detox was such an important step for me when I set out on my weight loss journey. I knew if I was going to succeed in cancelling the carbs and saying “no’ to sugar, I would have to rid my kitchen cupboards of temptation.
I ended up filling two black bin liners with unhealthy food. Half-eaten packets of breakfast cereal, pasta and rice, jars of jam, tins of baked beans…they all had to go.
I swapped processed, dry foods for meat, fish, eggs and fresh vegetables. Instead of beer, I bought a bottle of vodka to enjoy with soda and fresh lime at the weekends.
For the first time in years my cupboards contained no unhealthy food (well, except for the vodka), and I didn’t look back.
Achieving the impossible?
Detoxing your kitchen when you live with people who aren’t on the same health journey is definitely challenging. But not impossible.
Could you designate a kitchen cupboard the “forbidden zone”, and lock unhealthy snacks away? Or do as I did, and persuade gym-going teenagers to keep peanut butter hidden away in their room?
Many of you have said you would feel guilty about throwing perfectly good food away. I get it. I felt anxious about it too. Could you make yourself feel better by making a monetary donation to your local food bank, or the Trussell Trust as a penance?
The most important thing to remember is to make you do a shop the same day as your kitchen detox and restock with healthy food. You don’t want to end up phoning for a take-away because you’re hungry and have nothing to eat!
Action step
In Lose Weight 4 Life (page 23), I give some top tips for a kitchen clear out. Will you commit to setting a date and doing a kitchen detox?
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