Summer is here, and most of us are eager to get rid of those last few pounds. Juice cleanses are a popular weight loss solution right now, but do they really work? One common complaint is that the pounds come right back as soon as the cleanse is over and a normal diet is resumed. The reason for this is that you feel deprived during the cleanse, so as soon as you’re finished you go back to indulging in unhealthy foods.

Rather than focusing on cleansing your body, it’s usually a better idea to focus on cleansing your kitchen! Get all the processed foods, high fat, and high carb foods out of there, and you’ll be less likely to indulge on a daily basis. You’ll be cleansing your body by providing it with only healthy foods, but without the severity of sudden deprivation followed by cravings for bad foods.

So, to accomplish long-lasting weight loss, what exactly do you remove from your kitchen?

1. Processed foods – remember that the farther a food gets from its natural state, the worse it usually is for your body. Packaged foods like snack items, cookies, chips, mayonnaise, cereal etc are usually bad for you.
2. Fruit juices that don’t expire in a week’s time, or come from concentrate
3. Foods that list sugar, flour, or oil as the first or second ingredient – learn to read your labels!
4. “White” foods – like rice and pasta

After cleaning out your kitchen, you still have to eat something! So what do you use to replace these foods? Stock up on the following items:

1. Fresh fruit and vegetables – talk about convenient snack foods! It’s simple to grab an apple or banana from the fruit basket, or some baby carrots from the fridge.
2. Fresh herbs – use these to add natural flavor, so you don’t get bored with your new eating habits
3. Eggs
4. Lean meats like chicken and salmon
5. Beans of any kind
6. Nuts
7. Unprocessed oats – use oatmeal to replace breakfast cereal

One brief word of warning…

If you are on any type of medically directed diet, please consult directly with your physician regarding the foods you should or should not be eating.

Now that your kitchen is cleaned out, it doesn’t mean you can never indulge in a treat like ice cream. But doing so will require getting dressed, finding your keys, and driving to the store. The point is to commit to a healthy diet on a daily basis, and put a bit of a roadblock in your way when it comes to unhealthy snacks. That way, if you really want something, you can still get it. But you won’t grab it consistently out of habit, mindlessly consume calories you don’t really want or need, and end up sabotaging your weight loss efforts.