You’ve made the decision to go on a diet, but is your kitchen diet-safe? There may be hidden dangers lurking around every door and shelf, so before you begin, cleanse your kitchen of temptations and unhealthy foods that can derail even the best laid plans.

• White bread is not allowed in the bread box. From now on, you’ll choose products that specifically state 100% Whole Grain or 100% Whole Wheat. Must say 100% otherwise you don’t know what you get. Look at the grain is made up of three parts: the germ, the bran and the endosperm. Some breads remove them leaving you with just the endosperm and some “enriched” flour. They do this because it makes the grain softer. But, we don’t want softer, we want healthier! Some manufacturers are misleading and use terms like “A good source of whole grains,” which could mean it only contains something, or “Made with whole grains.” Well, great, but how much? So do yourself a favor, when it comes to pasta, muffins, bread, cereal, etc., you want 100% or nothing.
• High fructose corn syrup shouldn’t be one of the top five ingredients in any item in your kitchen, and better yet, get rid of it altogether. Ignore those recent TV commercials with moms discussing how it’s completely safe, “in moderation.” My philosophy has always been “When in doubt, throw it out.” We know that HFCS is found in things like sodas, but check out these other items. Did you just buy fat-free salad dressing to prep for your diet? It probably has HFCS in it. Ketchup, barbecue sauce, fat-free mayonnaise, pickles…it can lurk in the most unassuming places. When you buy these items without HFCS, you won’t notice the difference. For example, I was able to buy a low-fat dressing instead of the fat-free version because it didn’t have HFCS. Now, it had a little more fat, but it wasn’t trans or saturated and the calories were a little higher, but it was worth not eating the HFCS.

Stock up on fruits and vegetables like grapes, bananas, apples, oranges, and berries. Buy frozen if they are not in season. Get greens for salads and tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and carrots to snack on.

Ditch the vegetable oil and get some light extra virgin olive oil for cooking. Other items on your healthy new shopping list should be nuts, low-sodium teriyaki sauce, tuna in water, organic probiotic yogurt, skim milk, organic lean meats, popcorn, and small amounts of dark chocolate (for when you really, really I need chocolate). You can’t “screw it” at home if you keep your kitchen diet-safe and there’s nothing in there to wreak havoc on your diet.