By Alan Henry How to Ditch Your Junk Food-Filled Pantry and Reboot Your Diet If your goal for the holidays or new year is a healthier you, those cabinets full of sugary snacks and salty, over-processed junk food are your first serious roadblock. It's time to throw out your junk food in a dramatic blaze of glory so you'll stick to your convictions. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you clean out the pantry once and for all, replace that junk food with healthy alternatives that will still fulfill your cravings, and jump start your path to a healthier diet you'll actually stick to. Photo remixed from originals by gerry and Glory Foods. Be Courageous: You're About to Make Some Difficult ChoicesBefore we get started, the first thing you'll need to do is summon as much courage as possible. To make change like this stick requires doing it in a dramatic way so you won't be tempted to just slip into your old habits, and educating yourself so you have healthy options that hit the same places on your palate that are served by the otherwise awful food you may have in your fridge or pantry. To help with the process, we invited our favorite nutritionists to share their suggestions. Seattle-based nutritionist and Registered Dietitian Andy Bellatti, and Boston-based nutritionist and wellness counselor Alannah DiBona both have a lot of experience helping individuals get their diets on the right track for their individual health and well being, and offered their suggestions for this piece.  Out with the Bad: Throw Out the Junk, Over-Processed, Unhealthy Food That's Holding Your Health HostageThe first thing we need to do is give you a fresh start. Head into the kitchen, and get a large trash bag. Open up all of the kitchen cabinets, and get ready to throw out (or donate, if the food is non-perishable and your local community pantry or soup kitchen is accepting donations!) your awful food. Here's your plan of attack. Photo by Javier Aroche. First Pass: Throw Out All of Your Obviously Terrible FoodCandy, chips, cookies, soda, sugar-laden fruit juice—all of it. Don't worry, we'll head to the grocery store in just a little while, so you won't have to live without snacks for too long. Second Pass: Learn How To Read a Nutrition Label, and Use them to Decide What to KeepIf you don't often read the labels on the food you buy and eat, start now, and use them to help you decide what to keep and what to throw out. Take a look at the USDA's dietary guidelines and the FDA's recommended daily intake of calories, fats, vitamins, and sodium to find out how much of what you should be eating. Alannah DiBona has some specific tips on how to read nutrition labels:
As you familiarize yourself with the nutrition labels, start tossing the foods that seem okay at first blush, but that you know aren't good for you based on their ingredients and nutrition facts. Those frozen "light" Jimmy Dean breakfast bowls? The sodium content in there—regardless of the "light" label—is out of control. The same applies to a lot of frozen foods, so keep an eye out. Approach the foods you used to think of as okay for you with a new eye, flip them over, and decide based on the label. Odds are you'll be surprised.  Third Pass: Decide on the Difficult ThingsNow it's time to start thinking about everything that's left. This is where you consider the difficult foods that you really want to keep but you know probably aren't at all good for you. We're not there with you, so we can't force you to throw it out, but we will give you this advice: you'll be more likely to stick with the food choices you're about to make when you get to the grocery store if you don't have your old staples to fall back on. Photo by Sean MacEntee. It's easy to throw out chips, soda, and candy. It's difficult however to toss out the frozen pizzas you rely on for a quick snack when you're hungry in the afternoon, or those microwave burritos that aren't really bad for you, but they aren't good either. Don't try to convince yourself that you can keep bad food if you change your habits either, like keeping the jug of ranch dressing in your fridge if you promise yourself you really will only use a tablespoon per serving. We all know you won't—breaking habits isn't that easy. When I tackled this job myself, I found myself with a large trash bag full of food that I probably should never have picked up anyway - a lot of it was pretty old, since I try to eat well anyway. Since I have a relatively small apartment and kitchen, there wasn't much to throw out. That said, that bag was pretty heavy. I enjoy salty and savory snacks, so I had to toss out two or three different varieties of salty snack mix, tortilla chips, cured meat in the fridge, corn-syrup laden dipping sauces and condiments, and frozen dinners that may be quick to microwave, but have incredible sodium and fat content. If you're about tackle this yourself, don't worry—my pantry was as empty as yours.  Stop, Think, and Plan Before You Go Re-Stock the PantryNow that the junk is in the trash and your cabinets are bare, it's time to think about alternatives. You might think to put the planning before tossing, but we put them in this order to force you to go to the grocery store with after coming up with healthy alternatives. As you make your shopping list, replace the foods you normally would buy with healthy options you'll enjoy. Think about are the types of flavors that you like, and look for healthy alternatives that hit those notes. Like I mentioned, I tend to enjoy salty and savory snacks, so I was eager to find better foods that hit the same flavor profile. If you give up your beloved bag of potato chips for tortilla chips or popcorn, you're more likely to stick with your healthy diet change than if you toss out a bag of Cheetos and hope you'll learn to love dried apricots. Here are some suggestions to get your list started. Photo by Ollie Crafoord.
 As for broad alternatives, Andy Bellatti suggests that you try to get as many whole grains in your diet as possible, and make sure that those whole grains are the first ingredient on the label, or high-fiber breads that are 100% whole grains with 4 or 5 grams per slice, or whole wheat pasta. If you love toast and sandwiches, high-fiber bread is a great way to avoid white flour and bread laden with corn syrup as a major ingredient while you get fiber in your diet at the same time.This is just the tip of the iceberg, but they're all great suggestions. The key here is to find healthier alternatives to foods that you already love and try them on for size. If some of the foods you have or had in your pantry have healthier options, check them out when you get to the store—just make sure to read the label to make sure they're actually healthy and not just marketed as such. Photo by Lori Stone.  Find a Personal Motivator To Help You CommitAndy Bellatti suggested that you tie your healthy eating goals to some personal motivator. For example, you're concerned about the environment or social good, he proposes: "Take on changes that are positive for your health and also socially conscious. For example – resolve to do more of your shopping at a farmers market. If you eat meat, look into purchasing meat that is raised in more sustainable ways, fed a healthier diet (i.e.: grass-fed beef vs. corn-fed beef, eggs from pasture-raised chickens), and treated more humanely. All of these changes provide benefits for human health as well as local economies, animal welfare, and the environmental landscape." Alannah DiBona agrees, and also notes that if you've been on the diet roller coaster before, you should stop and consider your reasons before you go any further. "How many times have you done this before? What's different this time? Why do you want to make the change? These are important questions to consider, otherwise you may be setting yourself up for failure. This is an important commitment to your quality of life, so don't fear trying something new, or taking a new approach." Alternatively, use something close and personal to motivate you, like a family member or friend who's ill, or the desire to spend more time with your family and friends. Personally, I'm going through a very similar experience, and not to diminish the causes of social good and environmental protection, I also rather selfishly want to minimize my risk factors for illnesses that run in my family. The key here is whatever you choose to do, make sure you have a motivating force behind it that makes you stick to your guns when the going gets rough and you're tempted to buy a box of Oatmeal Creme Pies from the convenience store. Finally, share that motivator with friends and solicit their support. Recruit your family, friends, or colleagues to join in with you, or find online communities that will offer some support, like previously mentioned Daily Challenge or Fitocracy. Photo by Amy.  Head to the Grocery Store Armed with Knowledge and AlternativesNow you're ready to go shopping. First, relax. Up to this point we've put a lot of emphasis on making sure you have healthy options to turn to in favor of junk food, and that you have the knowledge to make smart decisions. Compose yourself and resist the urge to go off and make choices you'll regret when you get home. Don't go off, buy all the right things, come home with bags of kale chips (which are delicious, by the way), granola, and other healthy foods, only to discover the that after a week, the thrill has passed. Here are a couple of rules to follow while you're in the store: Photo by Brianna.
If you catch yourself putting something in your cart because you "feel like you have to," take it back out and look for something that's a better fit for you, both for your taste buds and your health. Repeat the process until you feel good about what you're buying. One great suggestion Andy made was to arm yourself with a cookbook and some new, healthy recipes you want to try. This accomplishes two tasks: First, it cultivates a love of healthy food that will stay with you and help you stick to your rebooted diet. Second, it gets you away from processed foods. You won't find food dyes, artificial sweeteners, and industrial cooking oils in most cookbooks, and the more you cook for yourself and try new, healthier ingredients and recipes, the less you'll rely on foods that come with those things cooked in.  Stick to Your GunsOnce you've stocked your kitchen and pantry shelves with healthy options, the hard part begins: making sure you don't let it all fall apart. First of all, you will make mistakes, and you will fall off the rails now and again. That's fine. Accept your mistakes, accept that you're allowed to reward yourself with empty calories now and again, or go out to eat and enjoy a big fancy meal, and move on. The real challenge will be to make sure those mistakes and rewards are infrequent. Photo by v smoothe. Alannah suggests talking to a dietitian or nutritionist (like herself and Andy) or even with your doctor when you start down this path. Even a short session can produce a lot of information about what's best for your lifestyle, preferences, and tastes. Best of all, many health insurance providers will cover a visit or two, just to help you get on the right track. Use your support network to help you as well. Share the healthy substitutions that have worked for you, and ask for their suggestions and opinions. Your family and friends can help—or at least present an audience you don't want to disappoint.  Not everyone can afford to clean out their pantry and buy all new groceries, so if you're budget conscious, consider saving this until the next time your cabinets are looking a bit bare and you need to go to the grocery store to stock up anyway. If you're planning a healthier 2012, now is a great time to start thinking about these kinds of changes.I've just started down this road myself. I'm in the process of finding healthy alternatives to the snacks that I love and discovering new recipes to try and snacks to enjoy. It's not a perfect science, and unlike those reality shows where someone swoops into your home, empties your kitchen, and takes you shopping to replace it all, you won't magically be a healthier person at the end of the episode. Even so, that doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a shot. You only have your health and well-being to gain. Photo by DC Central Kitchen. Andy Bellatti, MS, RD is a Seattle-based Nutritionist and the author of the nutrition blog Small Bites. You can follow him on Twitter at @andybellatti. Alannah DiBona, MA, MS, is a Boston-based nutritionist and wellness counselor, and the woman behind mindbodysportconsulting.com. Both graciously volunteered their expertise for this story, and we thank them. 
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Are you still using the mouse and keyboard that came with your computer? Or maybe you've tried something new, but you've got some nagging RSI strain, cords tangled everywhere, or a lagging mouse that's left you unjustly fragged into oblivion? If your mouse and keyboard aren't working for you, it's time to buy new ones. Here are the things you'll want to keep in mind as you shop. 
Palm Grip: With this style of a grip, you lay your entire hand on the mouse, using your palm to move the mouse around. You'll feel this most in your wrist and forearm. It's faster than the other grips, albeit less precise, so not always the best for gamers that require very precise movements. It's also the more comfortable of the two, so if you have RSI problems, you're probably better off with a mouse that encourages this type of grip. Usually these mice have a bigger bump on the back end for your palm to rest. Examples include the 
Claw Grip: The claw grip gets its name from the way your hand looks when you hold the mouse—your palm may still rest on the back, but your top fingers are arched in a claw-like fashion, and you may use your thumb, ring finger, and pinky to give you a bit more control over the mouse. It's more precise than the palm grip, but can be a bit more straining too. These mice are usually longer and have lipped edges, so you can pick the mouse up and move it. This is kind of in between the palm and fingertip grip, though, so you can use a ton of different mice with it, depending on where you fall in the spectrum. The 
Fingertip Grip: This is the complete opposite end of the spectrum of the palm grip. With this, your palm doesn't rest on the end at all, you control the mouse entirely with your fingertips. This is the most precise of all the grips, but can also be the most taxing. Many people find it also has the steepest learning curve (since the palm grip is what most people use naturally), so if you have issues with RSI, you might want to avoid this grip. These mice tend to be smaller and flatter, like the 
One of the other big deciding factors in your mouse decision is going to be whether you want a wireless mouse or one with a cable attached. In general, wireless mice tend to be more convenient, since the cable can't catch on your desk or get in the way. However, wireless mice can also carry some lag (usually about 8ms), which can feel like an hour if you're in the middle of an intense gaming session. Furthermore, they can sometimes interfere with other wireless devices in your home, like a wireless G router, or 2.4 GHz cordless phones. Wireless mice also require batteries, which can be a pain if you forget to charge them or pick up some AAs at the store.
Extra buttons aren't just for gamers anymore, folks. You can map your spare buttons to any function, like back and forward in your browse, or 
I briefly mentioned this above, but if you're doing something that requires precise movements—like gaming or image editing—make sure you get a mouse that has relatively high sensitivity. Your mouse's sensitivity determines how small of a movement you need to make for your cursor to move. Perhaps you've noticed that with some mice, your cursor will get "stuck" if you move your mouse to slightly, and you have to jerk it out of place. High sensitivity mice don't have this problem, since slighter movements yield small movements in your cursor.
Just like mice, your keyboard is something you use all day at your desk, so you should make sure it isn't going to cause you any strain. Keyboards with adjustable height and tilt are always a good idea, so you can get it at just the right level for where you're sitting. It's also great when a keyboard includes a wrist rest, but you can also buy these separately if need be. Some people love "ergonomic" keyboards like the 
Like mice, the main draw of wired keyboards is the responsiveness, which can be important in gaming. In my opinion, however, wireless keyboards hold less of an advantage over their wired counterparts than wireless mice do. Since you move mice around a lot, that wire can get pretty annoying, but your keyboard generally stays in one place most of the time. As such, the only thing that really matters is how the keyboard looks with a wire coming out of it, unless you're prone to losing your keyboard on your lap. Wireless keyboards have the same downsides as wireless mice, too: they're more expensive, require batteries, often take up a USB port on your machine anyway (unless they're Bluetooth), and generally just cause one more link in the chain where something could go wrong. Still, if you want to move your keyboard around (or if you ever plan on using it for a home theater PC), getting rid of that wire can be convenient.
Lots of keyboards nowadays have extra function keys that usually correspond to launching apps, controlling your music player, controlling your volume, and so on. Often, they come as either separate buttons above the normal F1-F12 keys, or as extra actions on the F1-F12 keys that you can access with a FN key. They can be very handy, and you can usually remap them to pretty much anything you want with the the software that comes with your keyboard—though if your keyboard's software suite isn't very good, you can always just 
