Pantry Flip! For a Clear and Calm Pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the most important times in life. It is important to look at your foods in your life. As well as to assess if it is best for you and your future kiddies.

This will help your future baby but also your whole family. If they are keen to get on board the pregnancy nutrition bandwagon. Straight and simple nagging will help with this of course!

How we store our food can impact our health in many ways. Proper food storage can help keep our food fresh to retain the nutrients within the food! This allows us to make the most of our meals for our nutrient intake.

Food storage in non-toxic containers is essential to help reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals! What we choose to have in our pantry will ultimately determine what we are eating each day. Making better choices before and during shopping when we stock our pantry - is the most influential point on changing our diet.

Fridge and pantry organization is the best. Fruits and vegetables can be stored in the fridge or pantry. Foods can be stored in plastic storage containers. However it is better to store them in non-toxic containers.

Non-toxic options may include beeswax wraps and glass containers. Buying these containers can help you save money on buying take away if you meal prep.

Another tip is to go shopping when you are rested, relaxed and well fed. Going grocery shopping when we are hungry will impact our decision making. It will increase us buying sweets and processed foods that aren't very beneficial to our health.

Number 1 healthy eating tip/hack

It can’t be eaten if it is not in the fridge or pantry!

Things to remove and swap out:

• Plastics – plastics have been shown to disrupt hormones, are neurotoxic, and disrupt the good bacteria in our gut. Use beeswax wraps instead of cling wrap, jars and glass containers instead of plastic storage containers. Remember! Do not heat plastic as this just speeds up the process of chemicals leaching into the food.
• Packaged foods – if it's in a packet it usually has other non-foods things in it. Who wants to feed their child or themselves something that is a food-like product? I always try to imagine what my cells are saying to me when I eat those foods – probably not nice things!!
• Preservatives and numbers – following on from packaged foods are numbers. Again, these are food-like products that are made in a lab. Not in the ground or even outside.
• Check out The Chemical Maze book to see what kinds of preservatives and numbers might be affecting you and your family. Side effects of preservatives and numbers can be things like brain fog, fatigue, hyperactivity, headaches, rashes, digestive upsets, insomnia.
• Need vs Want - if you haven’t used something within the last 4 weeks – get rid of it, you probably won’t use it in the next 4 weeks. Do you really need 5 different wooden spoons or 10 different sized mixing bowls? Donate some to charity or a friend in need. A clear pantry equals a clear mind (isn't that what they say?)

Things TO DO:

• Buy in bulk – save money + save the earth = super mama. Buying your flour, nuts and seeds, muesli, cacao powder, rice and pasta from a bulk food store will save money and packaging.
• Include lots of herbs and spices - turmeric, basil, himalayan salt, ginger, cumin, black pepper, etc. Spice racks can be a great idea for storage and look super cute.
• Fill - your fridge and pantry with lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, fermented foods and berries. Cut things up like carrot and celery sticks, pineapple, strawberries, melons, prep a basic salad and pop them in glass containers in the fridge for easy access and snacks.
• Store - your fruits and vegetables correctly to ensure they last. Beeswax wrap to cover open avocados and lemons, wrap cauli and broccoli with a damp cloth to store for longer.
• Buy seasonal fruits and vegetables - Pesticides are used to make non-seasonal fruit grow better. Try to avoid these as much as possible.