Start the New Year with a Pantry Clean Out!

Let’s Set Yourself Up for Success - Pantry Clean Out 2025

Written by Roxane Shymkiw

What steps are you taking to thrive this year? What do you think will help you feel your very best? How about setting yourself up for success by starting with a pantry cleanout? Hear me out. I’m not suggesting a full on Marie Kondo makeover of your pantry stocked with beautiful wooden topped glass jars and handmade wicker baskets (I can dream right?) but more of a reset to help jumpstart a healthier eating routine, feel more organized and allow us to save a bit of time and money when we all feel everything is just a bit more this year. Our food environment shapes our choices even more than our willpower, so cleaning up the pantry to make access to healthy food easier is a great way to position yourself to achieving your health and lifestyle goals.

Cleaning out the pantry makes space for healthier, more nutritious foods. It’s an opportunity to clear out old expired foods or foods that were bought on a whim but never finished. Anyone else with spices dated best before 2016? By replacing highly refined and ultra-processed foods with nutrient dense whole foods like nuts, seeds, beans and lentils, whole grains, vinegars, and raw honey, it encourages healthier eating habits and makes it easier to commit to goals and stay on track. It’s easier to establish these behaviors if the foods you want to eat are right in front of you. Even if you’re not ready for a full clean out, making a conscious decision to move the treats and occasional foods out of the prime “easy to grab” locations to a little further back or higher up in the pantry can be really beneficial. Consciously decide to remove the less healthy foods gradually and thoughtfully replace it with a healthier alternative such as crackers made from nuts and seeds or almond flour rather than regular all purpose flour.

Have you ever found yourself walking up and down the aisles at the grocery store trying to remember what you need, grabbing a few cans of chickpeas only to get home and find four cans already in the pantry? Cleaning out the pantry can help reduce food waste by allowing you to keep track of what you have and what needs to be used before its expiry date. It can help save money by cutting down on buying duplicate foods and food being pushed to the back, forgotten, and eventually thrown out. By placing the healthier foods you want to eat in the front of the pantry at eye level, grouping similar foods together, and placing all of the labels forward, we can focus our efforts on being intentional and selective about what we put in the pantry rather than trying to work up enough willpower to pass over the cookies or chips. An organized pantry allows you to take stock of what you have and help with planning meals more efficiently around those ingredients. It will result in fewer last minute trips to the store and more strategic shopping since you’ll know exactly what you need. If you stock up on staple items like canned tomatoes, beans and lentils, coconut milk and brown rice, you’ll always have the ingredients to throw together a quick dinner that is tasty and healthier than takeout.

Decluttering can be deeply satisfying for our physical space and the soul. An organized pantry will make us more efficient and can give us a sense of control by knowing where everything is. It will promote more mindful eating when the pantry is stocked with less impulse buy foods and more accessible healthy options by reducing temptation. Giving your pantry a reset is a great opportunity to build up a pantry that aligns with and supports your long term health goals. I hope a fresh start to the new year with a well stocked and organized pantry will bring you a sense of calm and inspire you to create more healthy and nourishing meals this year.

Ready to Thrive in 2025?
Cleaning out your pantry is just the first step toward making this your healthiest year yet. But if you need guidance on building a personalized plan to meet your goals, or want help making sustainable, healthy changes in your routine, I’m here to support you every step of the way.

Let’s make 2025 the year you feel your very best. Schedule a Discovery Call with us today and let’s create a plan that works for you!