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Stocking a Natural Kitchen
Stocking a natural kitchen is at the very foundation of a healthy lifestyle. For many of us, the kitchen is where most of the action takes place in the daily routine of life. When the heart of the home is loaded with natural foods, your entire home will reflect the change in a positive way.
First step
The first step is also the most obvious: to buy whole, natural foods. What does that mean? It means foods that are as close to their state in nature as possible. Foods you will cook and prepare. Things like:
- Organic fruits and vegetables
- Free-range meats and poultry
- Whole grains
- Nuts and preservative-free dried fruits
But where do you go from there? The next steps are about slowly changing some key eating and purchasing habits.
Swap out the snack foods
Let’s face it. For most people, snacks often compromise healthy eating habits. Those little between-meal morsels play a critical role in the well-stocked natural kitchen. Think about swapping out the chips and sweets for tasty, crunchy natural snacks like baby carrot sticks, sweet red grapes, and healthy dips and spreads for celery and other veggies. The ideas and food possibilities are endless – see our Healthy Snacks for Every Craving for great ideas.
What’s difficult is forming the habit of purchasing and using these healthy snacks. Since snacking is about grabbing something quickly and easily, consider some ways in which you can make your healthy snack foods easier to access:
- Keep a bowl of mixed nuts and dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, currants) within easy reach. You’ll be more likely to grab a handful of this mixture if it’s out in the open.
- Make sure your celery, carrots, and grapes are already washed and ready to eat — so you can simply pull them from the refrigerator and munch on them.
- Have both salty and sweet options available because you never know in which direction your snacking mood will go on any given day.
- Trade industrialized condiments and sauces (which are high in sodium and often contain artificial additives) for homemade versions using fresh tomatoes, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and spices.
Kitchen cupboard as natural medicine cabinet
As you collect your own natural health remedies, herbal teas, vitamins, and supplements, you’ll be building a kind of herbal medicine cabinet in your kitchen. Try keeping this bounty within reach of your other foods and supplies, so you can easily include a healthy tea with your food choices. Foods such as pure cocoa, the spices turmeric and cayenne, and herbs like garlic, oregano, and thyme do double duty as anti-inflammatories, antifungals, and blood pressure regulators. Remember that your cupboard is actually part of your natural medicine cabinet. Whole foods can help maintain good health.
