Clean Your Refrigerator!

On our recent East Coast visit, I spent a day visiting my friend, Irene Kendig, whose book, Conversations with Jerry and Other People I thought Were Dead, was my first editing project and has since won seven book awards.

But writing isn’t the only thing Irene does well. Her home, an urban oasis, exudes serenity. Part of this is her choice of paint and décor, but also—and this makes a huge impact—her house has zero clutter. It’s clean inside and out.

Irene’s refrigerator (pictured above) blows me away!  I’ve never seen anything like it. How many of us have cluttered, jam-packed refrigerators filled with containers housing mildewed leftovers? How many of us take time to create this kind of order in our refrigerators? It’s obvious our food nourishes us, but how we organize our food, how we tend to it, whether we make it accessible or not, makes a difference too.

The inside of this refrigerator makes me feel like all is well in the world of health and nutrition. I love the fresh foods, the color, the order. Irene knows where everything is; there’s clarity here—and also respect.

Whatever you eat—whether you eat raw, vegan, vegetarian—or not—nourish yourself with fresh, nutritious whole foods and keep them in a clean refrigerator. Throw away stale leftovers. Wash containers. Wipe down the shelves. Buy live foods. Arrange them so you can see what you’ve got and can easily locate what you want when you want it.
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Caring for your refrigerator is a wonderful way to honor your diet—and yourself.