So you want to start limiting processed foods, but your pantry and fridge are full of them. We know the feeling. It can be hard to say goodbye to all of that stuff — and how do you even know what to get rid of in the first place?
We would implore you, though, to be brave, and to start with one simple step: The audit. Going through your fridge-freezer and pantry, and eliminating the food that generally causes the most issues, can allow you to start to make big changes in one fell swoop, says Prevention. In your fridge, deli meats, sugary yogurts, bottled salad dressings, and any particularly processed spreads like unhealthy peanut butter should move to the trash. Your freezer should also face your wrath: Remove any frozen breakfast items like breakfast sandwiches, prepackaged frozen meals, and sugary desserts, in which unhealthy fats and sugars lurk.
On the pantry side, look out for refined grains like white rice, flour, and packaged white loaves of bread, as well as salty snacks like chips and equally sodium-packed canned soups and broths. Be bold, remove it all, and reap the benefits.