How To Create A Healthy Kitchen

Most of us know that a big part of living a healthy lifestyle comes from eating a balanced diet. We hear a lot about we are and aren’t supposed to eat, but what we don’t always learn, is how to maintain a healthy kitchen. Lauren Rashap, Certified Nutritionist and creator of the Eco Home Detox, recently spoke with the lifestyle company, Simply Spaced about what it takes to keep the heart of your home in tip top shape.

In your professional opinion, what are the most important components of a healthy kitchen?

A kitchen is only as healthy as its contents. Every kitchen makeover we do at Lauren Living Healthy is based on my “Clean Kitchen Pyramid,” which includes food, tools, cleaning supplies and storage.

Food

• Remove “Fake foods”: canned foods with BPA, sugar-laden cereals and snacks, inflammatory cooking oils, sauces and seasonings with MSG or HFCS, condiments with harmful preservatives, hidden sugars and soy, inflammatory vegetable oils and trans-fats, conventional produce on the dirty dozen list, processed foods and snacks.
• Replace with real, unadulterated and unprocessed, organic fruits and veggies, pastured eggs.

Tools

• Remove unsafe, leaching cookware and plastic cooking tools, Teflon or most non-stick pots and pans, single-use disposable silverware, plates, and napkins.
• Replace with water filtration system, cast-iron pans, efficient appliances.

Cleaning Supplies

• Remove hazardous cleaning supplies.
• Replace with safe, non-toxic soaps and sprays for dishwashers, countertops, and surfaces.

Storage

• Remove hormone-disrupting plastic-containers, baggies, BPA baby bottles, water bottles, drinking bottles.
• Replace with glass

What are the weirdest things you’ve found in a kitchen?

Spices in the pantry that were 10 years past their expiration date. Many people don’t realize that spices are medicine and just like any other med, they can go bad. Worse, when they do or when they are housed in plastic and exposed to heat, they can become toxic in the body.

Why do you think kitchen clutter accumulates?

Much of the commercial food, products, and appliances we buy are unnecessary, unconscious impulse buys and potentially harmful to our health over time. I think we all get caught up in collecting the latest time-saving gadgets and appliances, some we never use and some we really don’t need. Surprisingly, most kitchens we enter have major countertop clutter with an average of 4-6 appliances cluttering their counters, most of which are rarely used.

What healthy kitchen tips would you share with the world if you only had three to share?

• Vinegar cleans windows better than Windex.
• Ban plastic water bottles from your home.
• Store your produce in parchment bags.

What are your top two organizing tips?

• Unplug and store appliances not in use to reduce electromagnetic fields (EMF) activity in the kitchen while creating uncluttered countertops.
• Decant milk and juice into glass bottles, the old fashioned way.

With these simple tips, anyone can begin moving towards creating an optimal kitchen. Pick one or two changes to implement a week and before you know it, you’ll be on your way to a happier, healthier home.