Lets start off by PURGING all the bad food you probably have in your kitchen right now and yes, I do realize the holidays are upon us so why not start the season off on the right foot!

It sounds simple but, eating healthy really starts with having healthy choice on hand.  If you come home and there are chips and salsa in the pantry or Ellio's pizza in the freezer that is what you are going to eat after a long, hard day at work or with your kids (I know that is the hardest kind of work!)  I am sure you bought these items in a weak moment, for your kids or perhaps you really just did not know any better but now I am here to tell you that we need to take the following items out of your house:

1. White foods (white rice, white bread, processed sugar, white pasta, skinless white potatoes)
   • Eating these foods leads to insulin burnout and is a top contributor to the obesity epidemic in America today.  The great thing is there are a lot of natural alternatives to these white foods.
2. Trans Fats (man made fats that are typically found in fried foods, store prepared snacks and baked goods)
   • These trans fats raise the bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower the good cholesterol (HDL)
   • This combination leads to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. 
   • Very simply, trans fats will kill you....
3. Saturated Fats (fatty cuts of meat and whole dairy products like ice cream, heavy cream, butter)
   • You should stay away from saturated fats all together if possible; if you simply can not stay away from saturated fat all together you should strictly limit your intake
4. Corn oil
   • this is not the worst oil to cook with but...Olive oil is always a better alternative
5. Energy drinks
   • Drinks like Red Bull will help you jump start your metabolism but are often filled with unnecessary sugars
   • Make sure you read the label on any energy drink you ingest as all drinks are not created equal!
6. Artificial Sweeteners
   • There is a lot of medical debate on whether artificial sweeteners are good for you or not; the good news is there are lots of natural alternatives
   • You can choose something like Stevia (in the whole foods section of the grocery store),agave nectar or a little bit of honey instead.

So...take a look inside your cabinets, food pantry and your refrigerator and get rid of all those bad choices!  That means the bad choices we did not specifically mention as well; things like potato chips, candy, peanut butter and salad dressing.  We will talk more about why some of these items are bad choices later this week.

In tomorrow's blog we will talk about labels,