Happy Monday!

This is one of my favorite topics. I love teaching clients how to stock their kitchen with all the right foods + cookware/appliances to maximize health benefits!

Let's dive right in.

How do we maximize food choices in the kitchen?

Step 1:

Start by removing processed foods, animal products, and sugar from the kitchen. If you can see it you will eat it!

We are designed evolutionarily to seek out high sugar & high fat foods. This has helped us to survive when food was scarce.

Food companies know this... and design their foods to be extremely hyper-palatable with the perfect combination of salt, sugar, and fat. It's hard to resist these foods!

Part of the key to success in a healthy kitchen is removing those processed foods and allowing your taste buds to have the freedom to taste REAL food normally again.

Animal products are also a big part of the picture, because of the high saturated fat content leads to many different chronic diseases as well as weight gain, hormonal issues, and mental fog.

Step 2:

Add in a variety of plants and choose sources that supply all the macronutrients!

Variety of plants + different colors maximizes the antioxidant and nutrient content of what you're feeding your body. This turns into decreasing inflammation, which we know is the sole driver behind many chronic diseases.

Add in fresh herbs and spices. These are the nutrient powerhouses of the plant kingdom and have anti microbial and anti viral properties.

Stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables. Here's a list of the foods I hit daily:

• Resistant starch: oats
• Legumes: usually black beans or chickpeas
• Grains: quinoa or rice
• Cruciferous veg: broccoli, bak choy, radish
• 1 cup berries
• Apple
• Variety of seeds: pumpkin, flax, hemp
• Aromatics: onions, garlic
• Fermented foods
• Quality protein source: tofu, protein powder, edamame beans, lupin beans,
• Any other colorful veg: carrots, bell peppers, purple cabbage
• Avocado: this is weekly (not daily) for me, as it's a source of glutathione (our body's most powerful antioxidant)
• Herbs + spices

You can see the variety, color, and macronutrient profiles of this list. My fat/ omega 3 sources are there, along with quality protein, starches and non starchy vegetables.

What else should be looked at in our kitchen?

Environmental toxins. We are now seeing the effects of what occurs when our body has become overburdened with these. Some of the health effects worth noting: infertility, weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and hormone imbalances.

Let's start with plastic: most sources of this should attempt to be removed from your kitchen. Why?

Plastic contains harmful chemicals: two of the more well known are Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates.

Even if a product says it's "BPA free", it still contains many more components of Bisphenol that are known to be worse than BPA. It's a great marketing scheme.

So what is BPA?

It was initially used as synthetic estrogen to be used a medication, but later found to be able to harden plastic and be waterproof.

It's endocrine disrupting, meaning it affects our hormones and affects our fertility. BPA can also effect insulin (the main hormone that controls blood sugar).

How to remove from your kitchen:

• Swap out anything plastic you're drinking your water in
• Swap out food storage containers that are plastic
• Swap out any other utensils that are plastic
• Get ride of plastic cutting boards
• Get rid of ziplock bags

Swap these for glass or stainless steel.

It's not realistic to swap out blenders or food processors usually, so the best advice I can give is before blending anything: make sure it isn't hot otherwise it will leech chemicals from the plastic into your food.

Lastly, avoid "non stick" pans, air fryer, etc. These have a Teflon coating that contain a type of chemical known as "PFAS" which is also known as the forever chemical. Meaning it takes years for this chemical to leave our bodies.

Interested in learning more?

Follow my instagram account @wfpb_doctor where I give tons of tips on clean eating and reducing your toxin exposure. I also give tons of recipes!

My 1:1 consults revolve around building the fundamentals for overall health through nutrition/meal planning, reducing environmental toxins, and mindset.

If you're dealing with fatigue, resistant weight loss, bloating, etc and feel like you're doing everything right: these are signs of an overburdened body from toxins.

I personally dealt with this for years! Which is why I'm so passionate in helping people feel their best again.

You can book a free 15 minute discovery call to discuss more with me.

I hope you found all these tips helpful!

Health & happiness,

Stephanie