5 Steps To AnAnti-Inflammatory Pantry

1 min

Most pantries hold a confusing mix of healthful and unhealthful food items, but cleaning out the questionable ones and replacing those with better choices isn’t really all that difficult.

1. Toss out any cereals and breads as the vast majority are refined, sweetenedand made with highly processed and refined flours. Replace them with organic, high-fiber cereals, steel-cut oats and whole-grain breads that, in whole or part, consist of intact or cracked grains. When looking at the nutrition facts, these are the ones with the most fiber and least sugar grams. The breads are often the ones in the freezer section, as leaving them out will lead to spoil quickly, asthey do not contain heavy amounts of preservatives.
2. Out with the instant soups, rice or noodle mixes as they areoften high in sodium, undesirable fats and blood sugar spiking carbs. Replace with whole grains such as brown rice or bulgur wheat, dried beans, peas and lentils. Be sure to find a good variety of spices and seasonings to jazz up your meals.
3. Discard instant drink mixes such as iced tea, instant coffee and sugary hot chocolate mixes and replace with high quality green, white or oolong tea and brew in hot water the old fashioned way. If you are missing the sweetness, add some raw honey and over time decrease the amount you use.
4. Add some anti-inflammatory spices, especially turmeric and ginger. They are important and flavorful parts of the anti-inflammatory diet.
5. Look for seasoning or spice mixes with monosodium glutamate or other ingredients that you do not recognize. Switch to herbs which are best when used fresh, but dried herbs, such as basil, sage, thyme, and rosemary, can keep their healthful characteristics and aroma very well.

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