One of the easiest places to start eliminating chemicals from your kitchen is to simply switch out the "worst offenders" (aka those items that contain the most preservatives, pesticides and other chemical additives) and replace them with less harmful substitutions.

You've probably heard the term "clean food" before. But what is it actually? Generally speaking, clean food is food that our bodies can process easily and turn into energy and muscle. "Dirty food", on the other hand, is loaded with things that our bodies were not designed to process, like chemical additives to change the colour or texture, preservatives to inhibit mold and kill off bacteria, modified genes, altered sugars and neurotoxins. The lists of ingredients on processed foods read more like a chemistry textbook than a compilation of edible items.

Below I've listed a few of my personal recommendations for food products to eliminate from your kitchen:

• Replace cooking sprays and vegetable oil with coconut oi l. Not only are there many health benefits associated with coconut oil, it's also the best oil to cook with at high heat with, because it has a high smoke point, which makes it well suited for high-heat cooking.
• Stop buying fruit juices. They are NOT healthy. If you really need to drink juice, make your own. No need to buy a fancy electric juicer, there are simpler alternatives, like this one.
• Replace artificial bouillon cubes with homemade stock (or organic stocks like these ones). Bouillon cubes depend heavily on flavour enhancing neurotoxins such as MSG, which has been linked to tumours and seizures, not to mention headaches, shortness of breath, and other unpleasant side effects.
• Instead of cornstarch, try organic arrowroot powder. You can find it at any health food store or sae money by buying in bulk here.
• Call me fancy, but I just prefer to make my own mayonnaise. Here's the recipe I use--I promise you it's better than Hellman's, and it doesn't have all the chemical preservatives that the store bought varieties do.
• Instead of pasta, try subbing in spaghetti squash or zoodles! It's such an easy way to eliminate overly-processed wheat flour and corn from your weekly meals, and it's delicious!
• Make your own salad dressings/ vinaigrettes. This one is so easy, and SO worth it. Have you ever looked at what's in those Kraft salad dressings? It's pretty gross. Here's a great list of easy to make salad dressings that you can whip up from the basics you have in your pantry, and your body will thank you for eliminating all the artificial flavours, additives and preservatives that come along with store bought dressings.
• Replace your standard table salt with Celtic or Himalayan salt. Commercial salt is actually 97.5% sodium chloride and 2.5% chemicals, such as moisture absorbents and iodine. Dried at over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, the excessive heat alters the natural structure of the salt.
• Replace your processed white sugar with coconut sugar, stevia, maple syrup or honey. If you absolutely need to have sugar, go for the unrefined, raw kind. It will have the least amount of chemical processing.
• Learn how to preserve fruits and vegetables so you don't have to buy jams, jellies, or canned vegetables. This was a game changer for me--I will never eat a store bought pickle again!

Pretty much anything that comes in a box and has the ability to sit on a grocery store shelf for months at a time is bound to be laden with preservatives and other chemical additives. Obviously, we all have different demands on our time, but one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family is to start making things from scratch. This means making your baked goods, your own soups and sauces, and yes even your own cheese (or vegan cheese!) Does it take more time and effort to follow a scratch diet, yes. Is it worth it? YES.