Kitchen Detox: 4 Weeks to a Healthy Kitchen

So much of your health depends on what is going on in your kitchen. If you've got a healthy kitchen that's always stocked with nourishing food, it makes healthy eating a whole lot easier. If your kitchen is a bit toxic, well... it's definitely not doing your health any favors! Read below to learn some very simple steps you can take to detox your kitchen in just a few weeks!

Start with Food:

The staples in your kitchen like your go to proteins, carbohydrates and fats are going to either help you or seriously hinder your health. Making sure you have healthful choices on hand for each of the macro-nutrient groups is absolutely vital!

Throw out all your vegetable oils, and replace them with real fats such as butter, coconut oil (refined and unrefined), olive oil, and lard. Read more on WHY you want to make this important step for you health here.

Then look at the ingredient lists on the food in your pantry. Consider replacing anything that has more than 10 ingredients, especially if there are things you have never heard of or can't pronounce!

To get an idea on the best proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to always have stocked in your kitchen, you're going to want to check out this list: 9 Foods to add to your grocery list for optimal nutrition. Even if you just added one of those foods into your diet each week, you would make amazing strides in your nutrition habits in just 9 weeks!

If you're looking to move at a much faster pace, then the Creating {Nutritional} Wealth eBook is probably more your speed.

Ditch the Microwave + Toxic Cookware

Moving on from food, what are the most popular food heating devices in your kitchen? Well, for millions of Americans it's their microwave and their non-stick cookware. Both of these are popular for their touted time saving benefits, but is saving that few minutes of time actually HURTING your health? Sadly, it's the undeniable truth.

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), there are serious dangers to non-stick cookware, particularly Teflon, "When you breathe kitchen air polluted with fumes from overheated Teflon, you're at risk for developing flu-like symptoms (yes, "Teflon flu"). The long-term effects of routine exposure to Teflon fumes, and from Teflon flu itself, have not been adequately studied." (source)

The dangers of Teflon and its perfluorinated chemical "family" (PFC's) doesn't stop there. EWG also notes, "PFCs have been found in nearly all Americans tested by federal public health officials. Chemicals from this family are associated with smaller birth weight and size in newborn babies, elevated cholesterol, abnormal thyroid hormone levels, liver inflammation and weakened immune defense against disease." (source)

Here's a freaky info-graphic to show just what happens at the different stages of heating non-stick cookware!

Kitchen Tools Swaps

Consider making the following swap outs during the next year

Ditch toxic non-stick, aluminum and copper cookware for stainless steel, cast iron, and enamel coated cast iron or steel (<---you can find my personal recommendations here
Reduce/eliminate use of your microwave for the stove-top or oven
Swap plastic food storage containers for glass