My own battle of the bulge is made easier by keeping that special drawer free of snack clutter. No more trail mix, nuts or banana chips. Gone. Empty. No calorie-laden foods in this house!

It’s not that nuts can’t be healthy. It’s just when bad habits develop — like eating a bowlful every night while watching a bit of TV — that the calories and fat grams add up to trouble on the scales. Moderation is something that is often difficult to achieve.

My solution?

Clear the cupboards of anything that might tempt me to sit down and overindulge. That’s the reason there is no crunchy peanut butter at my house. You would think that since I have given up bread-eating on a regular basis, peanut butter would no longer be needed in my life. Leave it to me to discover that a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter in a small bowl, sprinkled with a few squirts of liquid honey, makes a great afternoon snack eaten right off the spoon! Again, not too unhealthy in small doses.  But every day until the jar is empty? There’s trouble!

If you have resolved to cut down on the junk food in your life, help yourself succeed by taking the time to declutter your kitchen. Get rid of anything that will lead into temptation. If it’s not there, you won’t eat it!

If you’re not sure if something is “junk,” take the time to read the label for calorie and fat content information. If something is fat-free but sugar, sucrose or corn syrup are the first ingredients listed, you know that eating the entire package will be bad news.

Clearing out the junk food is also a great opportunity to take stock of your pantry — a first step to eating more healthily. Didn’t know you had four cans of chick peas hiding in there? Maybe it’s time to make a nice healthy soup or vegetarian stew.

It’s good to know that decluttering is not only good for the soul, it can do wonders for your body. Let the food decluttering begin!