30 Day Paleo: Day Three – Clean Out Your Pantry

Looking to make healthier choices? Perfect! This is Day 3 of 30 of my 30 Day Paleo Plan. For more information on 30 Day Paleo as well as 30 Minute Paleo, check out the get started page. Post each day on your 30 Day Paleo journey to Twitter or Instagram and show me by tagging me with @dranthonygustin — get after it! 

Day three, time to remove the temptations! All the items in the pantry that don’t spoil? Oreos, Doritos, Snackwells, Triscuits, etc. These items are not food. Food spoils. Time to clean out the junk and get rid of it all. Time to make your paleo pantry!

You (should have) went through Day One and eliminated the process of downing the junk into your bell. Now it’s time to to eliminate it from your pantry. Out of sight, out of mind. Out of mind, out of belly. Either toss this junk or donate to a shelter.

This process shouldn’t just involve your pantry- it should also include your refrigerator. Look at all of your condiments, salad dressings, and sauces. Anything that you haven’t used in a few weeks or any items that have ingredients you can’t pronounce – toss it (or again, donate it somewhere if you want).

Some of you may feel some separation anxiety at some of these long standing pantry or refrigerator items, but trust us – you will not miss it. With all of the poor “food” options gone, it will be much easier to make good decisions about how you’re feeding your body.

Sometimes, you will want to bake a little paleo treat or use paleo-ish ingredients for cooking. For these cases, I’ve have prepared a Pantry Guide. No, not everything on this list is necessary for a paleo pantry. Check out the recipes as you go along and if you need an ingredient, then refer to the paleo pantry guide for more information. Keep in mind that if you’re making paleo baked goods, they’re still treats. They are generally void of any proper micronutrients and full of sugar. Try to make these treats as little as possible.

If you make a strong effort not to have anything around that could be damaging to your health, your choices start to become a lot easier. In most cases, you don’t need to replace what you’ve tossed. This is a huge step, but will really aid in your journey to making paleo eating second nature.

Go through your pantry. Donate or toss anything that is not compliant with Day One. Check out the Pantry Guide for information on how to move forward and stock up with health approved options.