Getting Started with Paleo: Clean Out Your Pantry, Refrigerator & Freezer

I can’t stress the importance of this one enough. The best way to be successful when it comes to eating this way is to set yourself up for success. By this I mean take the time to clean out your pantry, refrigerator and freezer. Remove the items that will be a temptation and which aren’t allowed. The most common pantry foods to get rid of are potato chips, cookies, pasta, rice, cereal, etc. But don’t forget to say bye bye to things like legumes, vegetable oils and other baking items like flour and sugar, beans, and lentils just to name a few.

When it comes to your refrigerator, get rid of items such as lunchmeat, pickles, salad dressings, ketchup, mustard, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, and anything else not allowed. Things to ditch in your freezer include ice cream, pot pies, pizza rolls, frozen burritos, etc.

The rule of thumb to keep in mind when going through things is to throw away anything if it has gluten in it, if it’s a processed food, if it is a grain – rice, pasta, etc. – if it’s a dairy product or has soy in it. And keep anything if it’s a real food, grain free or gluten-free (all the ingredients need to be grain free or gluten free).

Some people have a mental roadblock when it comes to this part of the process. I’ve heard the excuse “I’ve spent so much money on all this food I currently have in my house. I need to use it first and then I’ll jump into the Paleo way of eating.” But it’s easy to blast through that roadblock!

Sure, you’ve spent a lot of money on all that stuff. But don’t let yourself use that excuse. Don’t delay starting this journey because the longer you wait, the harder it will be to start. If you’re really concerned about “throwing” away all that money, why not put it to good use and donate to a local food pantry or ask a local church if they know of a family in need that could use some food?

If you don’t get rid of all the non-paleo items, it’s a sure way to self-sabotage yourself. It’s easy to think you have willpower and can resist the temptation to eat those things. But trust me, in the moment of a craving (and there are sure to be some!) it’s not so easy to resist if those foods are in your home and readily available. So do yourself a favor and make this process as easy as possible and just get rid of the temptations!

Once you’ve cleared out the foods that aren’t Paleo friendly, things are going to probably look pretty bare. Don’t worry, we’ll get to the grocery shopping soon.

But first let’s talk about modifying how you cook at home and how to handle eating out. We'll cover that tomorrow!