If you're serious about sorting your nutrition out, your kitchen needs to be clear of the things that will lead you away from your goals, and you need to stock a range of essential ingredients so you can make a variety of recipes from scratch.

We use the kitchen makeover methodology by Precision Nutrition - a world-renowned nutrition programme. Here's a checklist of some key ingredients to get you started, though obviously this may vary somewhat depending on your preferences, cultural foods, how frequently you shop for food, and health requirements. As you try out more recipes and find your favourites, the ingredients you stock at home will change.

Some tips for your kitchen makeover

Before you get started, here are some pointers for the big clean up beforehand:

• Clear out all the junk foods and non-nutritious foods in your cupboards; if it's in your house either yourself or someone you love will eat it.
• Clear out expired and very old products.
• Refill your cupboards with foods that will help you make healthier choices on a daily basis.
• Have the right kitchen gear to help you prepare and store your homemade food.

Not sure what you should keep and what you should throw away? Check the ingredients list on the packaging - if you can't pronounce things on it, if it has a long list of ingredients, or if you don't know what it was originally made from, it's probably more of a 'sometimes' food rather than one to have on hand.

If it comes in a box, plastic packaging, or a bag, you may also be better off without it. Think ready-made store bought meals. Junks foods like chips and candy. Instant food mix packets. Dressings, relishes, sauces (can have a lot of hidden sugars). Breads and baked products that are not made with whole grains. Juices and soft drinks. Muesli and fruit bars.

Remember than organic sugar is still sugar. Sugar free doesn't mean its not high in fat (just as fat-free doesn't mean its free of sugar!).

But there's nothing left in my cupboard!

Obviously there are exceptions to these, but assess what you've got on a case-by-case basis. Ask if you need to have it in your home at all times or if would be better to have it less often.

This is not about deprivation; if you normally have treat foods in your house you are still free to go out and purchase them as an occasional treat - it's just more conducive to healthy eating if they're not in your kitchen all the time.

Remember that if you have healthy eating as your goal, you want to set yourself up for success by removing the foods that won't help you with this goal, then replace them with healthier options. Home-baked muesli bars made with honey rather than sugar, fruit infused waters or kombucha for flavoured drinks, made-from-scratch sauces that are fresh, frozen meals you've prepared yourself... You get the idea.

This is how you can make healthy eating near foolproof. Now to fill up your kitchen with glorious foods to help you eat healthier! Re-stocking your kitchen with a variety of delicious, healthy options is just as important as the clear out.

Your main essentials

Pick your three favourite:

• Vegetables (i.e. broccoli, carrots, kumara, potatoes, green salad leaves)
• Fruit (i.e. apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, blueberries)
• Lean proteins (i.e. chicken, fish, pork, lamb, beef, tofu, falafel, hummus, lentils, eggs)
• Nuts/seeds (i.e. almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, peanuts)
• Grains (i.e. oats, quinoa, rice, grainy breads, corn, buckwheat)

Write these down - potentially even make two variations of this list - and these staples form your no-brainer basic shopping list each week to replenish. If you feel yourself getting bored with your essentials, all you have to do is redo this process and create a new list.

Other foods

This encompasses anything else you might need; ingredients to turn your essential staples into flavourful, appealing, satisfying meals such as baking ingredients, stock powder, herbs and spices, low-fat/low-sugar dairy products etc.

After the kitchen makeover

You might like to prep your veges in advance by cutting them into pieces and place in containers in your fridge - the prep work that goes into cutting and chopping vegetables is often one of the things busy people struggle with the most at the end of a tiring day. Try to plan what you're going to do with your proteins and veges to turn them into meals for the week. For day-to-day meals it can be easier to do it like this rather than the other way around (planning your meals and buying protein to suit).

Now you've got your ingredients sorted, it could be a good idea to check if you have your Essential Kitchen Tools in order so you can whip together some amazing things!

REFERENCES

All About Kitchen Makeovers. Precision Nutrition. Retrieved from https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-kitchen-makeovers.

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