What a peek in your pantry reveals about your health, wellness & fitness…

Yesterday morning, as my daughter Audrey was stepping on a Miami-bound plane on a business trip, I was taking her place on a New Year, New You Pantry Makeover phone interview with nationally recognized nutrition expert and published author Keri Glassman.  Keri is the founder and president of Keri Glassman, Nutritious Life, a nutrition practice based in New York City. For years Keri has been a leader in advancing a “whole person” approach to health and wellness. She has dedicated her career to creating services and promoting education through her “Nutritious Life” brand.

Oh, dear.

Audrey told me to immediately send a photograph to Keri; a photograph of my main pantry area.

Double dear.  (Or dare, as the case may be.)

Keri would be analyzing my stash of food products in the optimal health, wellness & fitness arena.

(I want to say I wasn’t kinda tempted to rearrange my stuff to make myself look more, well… in total management of a very healthy-looking pantry… but I didn’t have time I didn’t want to skew the integrity of the assessment and interview.)

Take a peek at what Keri saw…

I do have other cabinets stocked with snacky things, canned goods, etc., and a refrigerator filled with lots of fruits & veggies, but this pantry cabinet is my basic go-to one for ease in grabbing something for quick lunches/dinners for Barry and me (and grandkids!).

(I’m also somewhat of a “European-style” shopper who buys fresh fish, poultry, meat every couple of days.)

But anyway… before I blinked, I was on the phone with Keri.

Keri is refreshingly friendly and upbeat in a let’s-get-going-on-this kind of way.  I love this.  We began our conversation with some information about me… relevant and timely New Year kind of conversation.  I love this, too.  I find it so much easier to make changes, both big and small, if my timeline for doing so is fresh and focused.

I told Keri that Barry and I began a (nother!) C25K training program on January 1st for a St. Patrick’s 5K in March.  AND that we Polar Plunged into frigid New England waters to begin the New Year in a real wake-up kind of way.  We are also both registered for the Boston Run to Remember Half Marathon in May.  This will be Barry’s most ambitious running training of his life.  And I’m all signed up to do the Patriot Half Iron distance in June.

Yes, we have some goals. We have our training schedules all set up.  Now we need some help in our Pantry!

Keri asked lots of questions about my lifestyle before she offered her assessment.  I love that as well.  (No immediate judgements on my over-stuffed carb Pantry!) I told her that I’m one of those “Club Sandwich” generation women who help and cook for my almost 87-year old Mom.  Barry and I both shop and cook, but I sometimes defer to Barry’s preferences in choice of rice, pasta, snacks.  (Yes, I went there!) We also regularly have some or all of our 4 kids & spouses and 9 grandkids for planned or spontaneous breakfasts, lunches, dinners.

Phew.

Down to the New Year, New You Pantry Makeover nitty-gritty.

Keri was not critical of my food choices; rather, she offered better choices for health, wellness and ways to improve nutrition for our fitness goals.  I love this.  Love this.  Give me better choices, not a complete, overwhelming re-do.  A Makeover… substituting better foods for foods we already enjoy and adding foods that will complete our nutritional needs.

So here goes, keeping in mind that all choices are made better by portion control…

– better options for our storehouse of rice products are whole grains, quinoa, wild rice, brown rice
– better bread choices are 100% whole wheat; for example, Arnold / Oroweat brand Thins & Minis
– better pasta choices are always whole wheat varieties (Barry needed to hear this!)
– nuts are great choices, but add seeds (pumpkin, sesame, flax, sunflower) and dried fruits such as figs, apricots, etc., but do not over-consume
– better choice for peanut butter is almond butter (I love almond butter and need to get Barry and my grandkids on board)
– better choices for teas are always greens (Barry and I love green tea… him decaf, me otherwise)
– another choice for fitness energy foods – Honey Stinger
– better choices for treats, appetizers, game-day dishes are hummus, guacamole, almond butter, canned pumpkin to add to recipes (love this suggestion!) – especially for the upcoming Super Bowl – GO PATS!
– better choices for cooking & baking are olive oils

Keri was offering such brilliant, yet practically helpful advice that I didn’t feel overwhelmed or that I had been doing everything wrong.  She was spot-on with what I think I knew, but needed to hear. Out loud.  About my own Pantry.

I love the concept of BETTER CHOICES.  It’s so psychologically easier to access, grasp and to implement.

I was so comfortable with Keri that I wished I had time to snap a few more photos of the insides of my other food spaces.  She made me feel at ease with my health, wellness & fitness… not that this better choice thing was difficult and all-consuming.  I’m beyond happy that I dared reveal what may very well change the way I live and love!

I highly recommend visiting Keri at www.nutritiouslife.com and following Keri on both Facebook and Twitter at @KeriGlassman.

Keri’s ease of information and approach to health & wellness is life-expanding.