Healthy Habits: Cleaner and Healthier Pantry

Balance Bar has partnered with registered dietitian Sharon Richter to share with you her tips for spring cleaning your pantry. As part of this initiative, Balance Bar is hosting a Balance Bar Pantry Contest – the grand prize winner will receive a box of Balance Bars, a J.R. Watkins White Tea & Bamboo product pack, a $100 Container Store gift card and an hour-long pantry consultation with Sharon Richter! Please find more information about how to enter the contest here or on Balance Bar’s Facebook page. 

 

5 Steps to a Cleaner (and healthier) Pantry

At least once a year, Sharon recommends a thorough cleaning of your food pantry. This is also a great time to assess your eating habits and freshen up some of your go-to staples in the snack and non-perishable categories. The first days of spring are the perfect opportunity to mark your calendars and spring clean your pantry. Here are a few simple steps:

 

o    Step 1: Empty everything from your food pantry. It’s okay to start with a mess and you’ll be surprised what’s hiding in there!

o    Step 2: Throw away anything that has expired, has been open for more than a couple weeks or you know you’re just not going to use.

o    Step 3: Organize everything by category – snacks, meal starters, nuts and dried fruits, cereal and carbs, etc.

o    Step 4: Check the labels. Here are a couple ingredients you simply shouldn’t have in any foods: hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), monosodium glutamate (MSG).

o   Step 5: Make sure you have plenty of portion controlled snacks readily available and at the front of the pantry. You tend to eat more of what is eye-level or easily accessible. I always stock up on delicious Balance Bar® Dark Bars. They are the perfect snack in the afternoon to keep your energy levels high. 

·         Sharon Richter is a Registered Dietitian who has established a private nutrition practice in Manhattan over the past ten years. Her objective is to help others achieve a healthier lifestyle by creating incremental goals that are both physically and mentally challenging and most importantly; achievable. Understanding the importance of nutritional education within the community, Sharon works closely with Wellness In The Schools (WITS), the Challenged Athletes Foundation and also sits on the board for Healthination and Sports For Youth, and Fitist.