Quick answer: Set yourself up for success by preparing your kitchen before the challenge. Remove or put away processed foods, organize your pantry and fridge, stock up on staples like vegetables, proteins, healthy fats, nuts, herbs and spices, and make sure you have basic tools such as good knives, cutting boards, sheet pans and storage containers.
Key takeaways
Starting with a kitchen clear-out of processed foods, sugar and refined oils makes the new way of eating easier to follow.
Keeping vegetables, proteins, healthy fats, nuts and seeds front and center helps turn good choices into the default.
A few simple tools, such as a sharp knife, sheet pans, a slow cooker and glass storage containers, can make whole-food cooking much quicker.
Declutter and organize
Remove or set aside processed foods, sugar and refined oils (see foods to avoid). Then organize your fridge so vegetables and proteins are front and center, and label containers.
Stock up on healthy staples
Stock up on fresh and frozen vegetables and fruit, meat, fish and eggs, and olive oil, avocado oil, ghee and coconut oil. Add nuts and seeds, plus herbs, spices, vinegar and coconut aminos, and use the quick reference cheat sheet.
Equip your kitchen
A sharp chef’s knife and cutting boards, sheet pans and a large skillet, and a slow cooker or pressure cooker go a long way. Glass storage containers and a blender round out the kitchen.
Healthy aging lens
A kitchen set up for whole foods can make healthy choices the easy choice.
What the research shows
Kitchen setup itself has not been tested in trials, but the habits a well-stocked kitchen supports, such as cooking at home and avoiding ultra-processed food, have been studied.
Home cooking and diet quality (Mills 2017, population study). In 11,396 UK adults aged 29 to 64, those who ate home-cooked main meals more than five times a week ate about 62 g more fruit and 98 g more vegetables a day than those who did so fewer than three times. They were also 28% less likely to have an overweight BMI. A limitation is that this was a snapshot in time, so it cannot prove that cooking at home causes the difference.
Ultra-processed vs. unprocessed food (Hall 2019, inpatient randomized crossover trial). 20 adults lived at the NIH Clinical Center and ate an ultra-processed diet for 2 weeks and an unprocessed diet for 2 weeks, with meals matched for calories, sugar, fat, fiber and sodium and eaten as freely as they liked. On the ultra-processed diet they ate about 508 kcal more per day and gained 0.9 kg; on the unprocessed diet they lost 0.9 kg. A limitation is that it was a small, short study in a controlled setting, not real life.
Strength of the evidence: The evidence for home cooking is observational, and the processed-food trial was short, so read these as supportive rather than proof.
When to see a naturopathic doctor
It may be time to see a naturopathic doctor if you have a chronic inflammatory, autoimmune or digestive condition, or if you have diabetes, kidney disease or take medications affected by diet changes. The same is true if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a history of disordered eating, or if you want a plan tailored to your labs, symptoms and goals.
See a medical provider promptly for severe abdominal pain, signs of an allergic reaction such as swelling or trouble breathing, or fainting.
Want an anti-inflammatory eating plan built for you?
A free 15-minute consultation with Dr. Kneessi. No cost, no obligation. In-office in Odenton, MD or by telehealth.
Questions to bring to your clinician
These questions can help you get the most out of your next visit.
Are there any foods I should keep on hand or avoid in my kitchen because of my health history?
Which pantry items would be most worth replacing first in my kitchen?
What basic tools would make anti-inflammatory cooking easier for me?
How can I set up my kitchen so healthy choices are the easy ones?
Frequently asked questions
How do I prepare for the challenge?
Clear processed foods, stock staples and gather basic tools.
Do I need to throw food away?
You can donate unopened items or store them out of sight.
What tools are most useful?
A good knife, sheet pans and glass containers.
Which staples should I buy first?
Vegetables, proteins, healthy fats and spices.
Sources
- Hall KD, et al. Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake. Cell Metab 2019. PMID: 31105044. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7946062/
- Bouzari A, Holstege D, Barrett DM. Vitamin retention in eight fruits and vegetables: a comparison of refrigerated and frozen storage. J Agric Food Chem 2015. PMID: 25526594. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25526594/
- Mills S, et al. Frequency of eating home cooked meals and potential benefits for diet and health: cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2017. PMID: 28818089. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5561571/
- MedlinePlus: Nutrition
- MedlinePlus: Food Labeling
- Mills S, et al. Frequency of eating home cooked meals and potential benefits for diet and health: cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2017. PMID: 28818089. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28818089/
- Hall KD, et al. Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake. Cell Metab 2019. PMID: 31105044. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31105044/
This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It does not replace an individual evaluation. Talk with your healthcare provider before starting supplements or changing medications, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or managing a health condition.
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