6 Ultimate Ways To Create A Healthy Organized Pantry
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Is your New Year’s resolution to be healthier? Do you ask yourself “where the hell do you start”?
If you’re overwhelmed don’t worry! I GOT YOU!
A healthy organized pantry lays the foundation for:
- Quick access to healthy ingredients
- Keeps healthy food staples stocked at your fingertips
- Makes cooking at home way more budget-friendly, fun, and easy
See, organization and health come hand in hand!
At Adventure to Wellness, I am all about bringing you back to basics and making it easier at the same time to live a healthier lifestyle.
With this being said, my husband and I are quite strict about what we have in our pantry and fridge. I think all kids are the same regarding their eating habits and personal choices. They need guidance!
As adults, discipline is a great skill to have when it comes to healthy choices. Guiding ourselves every day with what we choose to eat and healthy lifestyle routines is very important.
Therefore, as we guide our kids toward healthy habits, we in turn show them how discipline is an amazing skill in laying foundation blocks for a healthy future.
Here are 6 ways to create a healthy organized pantry:
1. Pantry Organization: Plastic To Glass
Plastic contains so many harmful chemicals, that it is just easier to ditch the plastic and avoid any negative situations. Although almost all the plastic sold in stores says it’s BPA-free, recent research reveals that a common BPA replacement, bisphenol S (BPS), may be just as harmful.
Below are jars that work amazing and are available in multiple sizes. I can label them with these chalk labels or paint pens. I also use the large mason jars for bulk ingredients.
Since they are glass, it makes it so easy to throw them in the dishwasher whenever the ingredients needs to be switched out.
2. Pantry Organization: Organize Spices
This might seem like an annoying task however, I remember seeing my grandmother’s spice drawer and everything was just thrown in. It took forever to find one specific spice. (Love you loads Gram!)
While cooking or doing meal prep it is easier to have your spices organized. This not only saves time but it keeps you feeling good about cooking your healthy meals.
Having a drawer right next to your main cooking area could also be a smart time saver!
I added two amazing spice racks inside our drawer (photos above) which are expandable to the size of your drawer. I ordered the jars that come with black labels, a small collapsible funnel, and a white marker to label the spices on the jars.
It’s brilliant! I highly recommend them!
3. Pantry Organization: Get Rid Of Junk Food And Refined Sugar
When you’re going through your pantry, take a few minutes and check the ingredients on all the labels you have.
In my opinion, learning how to properly read an ingredient list is something that should continue to be taught in schools (or start if they are not teaching it in your schools).
Here are a few tricks to remember when looking at any ingredient labels:
- Ingredient labels go by quantity. Therefore, the closer to the beginning of the ingredients list means that it is the main or one of the main ingredients. (there is a lot of it)
- You should not be eating it if you cannot pronounce the ingredients (many unpronounceable ingredients are unnatural and could potentially be harmful to your health)
- If it has more than 5 ingredients, you probably shouldn’t be eating it
You might also want to ditch the white sugar, brown sugar, and icing sugar.
Out of sight, out of mind!
According to the American Heart Association, women should only be consuming 6 teaspoons (24 grams) of added sugar per day. For men, it should be no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams) of added sugar per day. For kids (aged 2-18), they should consume less than 6 teaspoons (24 grams) of added sugar per day. For kids aged 2 years and younger, there should be no added sugar in their diets.
What I found striking about these recommendations is that a full-grown woman could be eating the same amount of added sugars as a 4-year-old.
Having strict guidelines for how many “sweet snacks” you have in your pantry can be the fine line between becoming a diabetic or not.
Want to know more? Read here about:
- 5 ways to stop sugar cravings here
- Surprising and unexpected food packed with added sugar
- Multiple benefits of adding lemon to your diet
4. Pantry Organization: Delegate Tasks To Make It A Family Affair
Delegate tasks to your kids when it comes to anything revolving around food.
It can be the simplest task such as:
- Choosing to write a pantry inventory
- Arranging their homemade weekly school snacks by basket (the ones I use are below as they are not metal and won’t scratch my shelves when pulled out or pushed in)
- Writing the grocery list (yay homeschool writing and literacy skills)
- Using computer skills to look up delicious recipes to try
You will honestly be so surprised at what your kiddos come up with!
Here are some of my favorite snacks, brands, and ingredients I always have on hand in my pantry:
- Avocado Oil
- Dairy Free Chocolate chips
- Wild Planet Tuna
- Coconut Oil
- HU Chocolate
- Coconut milk
- Coconut water
- Organic honey
- Pure Maple Syrup
- Raw cacao powder
- Macadamia nut oil
- Olive oil
- Vital Protein Collegen
5. Pantry Organization: Shop At Local Farmers Markets When Possible
This might seem like a no-brainer however, many people don’t realize that it can be less expensive to shop at farmers markets to get fresh produce.
This also creates a sense of community and you get to meet the people who produce all sorts of different things we use daily.
You may also come across ingredients you have never seen or used before sparking some creativity.
6. Pantry Organization: Growing A Family Garden And Dehydrating Food Harvest
Everyone can benefit from getting their hands dirty and breathing in fresh air. Having family members contribute and plant what they like to eat can be an awesome way to encourage everyone in a household to eat healthier.
There is something so satisfying about walking out on your balcony or on your back lawn and plucking fruit or vegetables freshly off the plant or from the ground and walking back into the house and eating them.
You cannot get more earth to table than that!
Here are items I always use in my garden:
- Shovel
- clippers
- Water drip system
- Gardening gloves
Conclusion
Hopefully, this created a little spark of inspiration for your pantry organization. Some parts might seem like a lot of work but baby steps are key. Your body is your temple! It will thank you in the long run!
Have any tips or tricks that you use for your pantry? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
Thanks and keep on moving!
-C xx
**Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or health professional of any kind. I am a random girl on the internet providing you with information backed with scientific links for your educational purposes. These are my own experiences I share that have had a positive impact on my health. Everyone is different and will get different results. Please talk to your health professional before changing anything to your lifestyle/diet to ensure your safety.**
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