Pantry Rehab—Changing The Way You Eat

My friend recently asked, “Who of all of our cronies has the best pantry?” Let me preface my answer by saying that the woman who asked knew that her's was not my top ranked larder (a running joke). I hesitantly answered as I have a general rule of thumb when I go to family and friends’ houses—to keep my mouth shut. After years of visiting those near and dear and hearing, “Just do me a favor and don’t look in my pantry” I have learned to zip it. And doing so is a welcome relief for me as I am inside the pantry, fridges and freezers of many clients in my private practice. But I must admit that sometimes it is super-difficult to stay subdued.

One summer while visiting a dear high school friend who I hadn’t seen in years, he was proudly showing me around his new home, kitchen first, and I slipped (and I don’t mean ass on the floor). “Hey Stef, check out my awesome pantry!” Well, he opened up this sizable closet and I gasped. Literally. He is a cancer survivor and has four kids. I just couldn’t help myself! I took one look at him, with jaw dropped and eyes bulging and said (in a slightly elevated tone), “What are you thinking?” He immediately closed the pantry closet and told me to zip it! He said his wife does all the shopping and if I say anything I will be kicked out of the house. So I zipped it but did say this, “For every bit of garbage you have in your pantry, and you have quite a bit, there is a healthier alternative.” He yessed me, I kept my mouth closed and we vacationed at his home for three days. But to this day, our conversation still continues outside of his home!

I have been inside the pantries of hundreds of people over the years and I have literally seen it all—from the professional athlete with a bare cupboard other than a tin of Nestle’s Strawberry Quik to the meticulously put together mother of three in fur and jewels with a tiny, unorganized and absolutely dirty kitchen. No matter whom I meet and what I see, my goal is to help when it comes to anything edible, and that is what I do.

Over a year ago, I took a leap of faith and filmed part of my work—the Pantry Rehab part—with the goal of getting this guidance to a larger audience. As the “New Year, New You” is around the corner, I thought I would share my creation for perhaps it can help you start to question what’s in your pantry.

My New Year’s Resolution—to go far and wide with Panty Rehab to help you (and hopefully a large part of the nation) change the way you eat. So definitely take a look at this short video. And feedback is welcome.