Creative and practical uses of junk food

When I transitioned to eating whole foods about 10 years ago, I realized I had foods lurking in my pantry that I no longer wanted to eat. If you need to make a switch or get rid of something, here are some creative ways to use junk food!

I have compiled a list of ways to use this for different household purposes. I hate being wasteful as much as the next person, but I finally had to realize that my body is not a trash can. And I refused to use things just to finish things around the house.

When I switched to a real food diet, I donated all my unopened, non-perishable food. But you still have all those opened packages of flour, sugar, oil, etc. that need to be disposed of. Instead of just promoting it, I used it for fun projects around the house.

The kids had fun while we finished the rest of the “junk food.” (I was pampered, too.) I’ve divided them into categories, but some of the recipes use multiple ingredients. Here is my solution:

1. All-Purpose Enriched Flour

I have definitely changed my stance and outlook on things over the years, especially grains. I avoided them completely for years while dealing with an autoimmune disease. Now I will eat certain grains in moderation, like white rice and organic wheat flour (especially sourdough).

But one thing you won’t find in my pantry (at least not anymore!) is bleached and enriched white flour. Here are some ways to take advantage of this:

Making Play Dough

A win-win situation. Spend some quality time with your kids and use up that extra flour in your pantry. If you don’t have kids, adults can have fun too. Consider relieving stress. If you need a gluten-free playdough version, I have one here.

This playdough uses wheat flour, vegetable oil, Koolaid or food dye, and iodized table salt.

Is there any food coloring you’d like to use more of? Mix with yogurt for finger painting. Be sure to take a picture of your child’s art project before you throw it away!

Paper dough with flour

Mix equal parts white flour and water to make a paste-like paste. Let children create their creations using their hands and scraps of old newspaper. Once dry, it is like a sculpture.

When we were kids, we used to blow up balloons and put paper on them. When the balloon dried, I popped it, cut it in half, and colored it to make a mask.

polish stainless steel

Ah, fingerprints! Stainless steel shows a lot of stains. After general cleaning, pour or rub all-purpose flour on stainless steel to shine and remove fingerprints or water stains.

The oils and fibers in the flour buff the small grooves in the steel. It also helps remove dust and dirt that regular cleaning cloths cannot.

2. Sugar

I’ve written a lot about sugar and why I ditched it over the years. I cut out white sugar, which is a bleaching agent, while consuming natural sweeteners in moderation. Sugar is a moisturizer that makes a great skin scrub! There are many different sugar scrub recipes you can try.

You can also use sugar syrup to wax your body hair. Here are instructions on how to make and use sugar wax:

kill unwanted ants

For many of us, the warmer months can mean ants in our homes. Instead of using harmful pesticides, you can easily solve the problem with a little sweetener. Both humans and ants love sugar.

To make a simple ant trap:

• Mix 2 parts sugar with 1 part borax (good to have on hand for cleaning).
• Place it in a small container or jar where ants can get in and out. Keep out of reach of children.

Borax is toxic to ants, but they cannot resist sugar. It won’t kill them right away, but if you take them back to the nest, they will all eventually die. I used it twice to get rid of ants in my house. Killing ants = Make good use of sugar!

3. Vegetable oil

You may have noticed more conversation about seed and vegetable oils lately, even in mainstream sources. Vegetable oils are rich in inflammatory omega-6 fats and have been linked to a variety of health problems. These include corn, canola, and soybeans.

Here’s how to use up any leftover vegetable oil at home:

Clean your tree naturally

There are natural ways to clean all types of floors, and that vegetable oil hiding in your pantry makes a great hardwood floor cleaner. Instead of distorting the ratio of omega-3 to 6, use them to make your floors shine.

Mix 1 cup of vinegar or lemon juice with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Use this mixture to clean your floors. First, perform a patch test on a specific area. Inflammation will be reduced, and your floors will sparkle!

You can also make a DIY dusting spray for wooden furniture by mixing vegetable oil and vinegar.

canola oil from the garden

Some sources say canola oil may be effective as an insecticide and fungicide in the garden. It helps prevent powdery mildew by suffocating and killing bugs and providing a barrier between plants and fungi.

To use, add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and 1 tablespoon of liquid soap to 1 gallon of water. Spraying it on your plants will kill bugs and prevent powdery mildew. Try to avoid good bugs!

4. Use up all the rice

Rice is one of the foods I’ve thrown away for years, but now I sometimes get better at it. You might be surprised to hear that I choose white rice over brown rice, and here’s why. Whether you’re consuming non-organic fortified rice or avoiding rice for gut healing purposes, there are a few ways you can utilize it.

Drying Wet Electronics

Electronics and water don’t mix, or at least they don’t mix! My kids accidentally dropped three cell phones into the water. And I dropped one myself. Rice saved the lives of three out of four people.

When you hold the rice cooker in your hand and the electronic appliance becomes wet, place it in the rice cooker and close the lid tightly. The rice will absorb moisture and escape from the device. This usually works as long as there is no structural damage. This may take several days or weeks, so be patient.

Rice water for healthy hair

Asian cultures have used rice water for luxurious locks for many years. Rice is rich in amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, proteins and other nutrients that are good for hair health. Here’s how to make and use rice water for softer, stronger, and shinier hair.

5. Oatmeal for skin health

Oatmeal can cause blood sugar spikes in many people and is often contaminated with glyphosate. Here’s how to use up some of those extra old rolled oats you have in your pantry.

For a relaxing facial, place oatmeal powder in a blender or food processor and add warm milk to create a paste. Rub it on your face, let it dry and then wash it off. It tightens pores, removes blackheads, and moisturizes.

6. Coke for cleaning

I switched from cola and other sodas to healthier (and, in my opinion, tastier) fermented drinks. If you still have people sitting around, Coke can make a great cleaning job. Contains phosphoric acid, which breaks down rust and hard water and softens burnt food. And citric acid is good for removing soap scum and grease.

It can also remove rust from car bumpers. Imagine what that does to your intestines??

clean the bathroom

Is the bathroom dirty? I’m sure you don’t, but sometimes it does. Pour a can of Coke into the toilet and let it sit for an hour. Use a brush to remove stains and rinse thoroughly.

I also tried this at home where a 30-40 year old bathroom was remodeled. It worked (and that bathroom probably hasn’t been cleaned in 30-40 years). Here are a few more ways to use cola for cleaning:

• Removing gum stuck to hair – Soak your hair for about 10 minutes and the gum will come right out.
• Unclog a Drain – Pour coke and wait.
• clean car battery – Pour cola on a dirty car battery or use a cloth soaked in cola to clean it.
• clean grout – Dip a sponge into it and use it to clean grout stains.
• oil stain removal – Soak clothes with oil stains in cola and wash them as usual.
• oil stains on the floor – Remove oil stains from garage floors or concrete driveways.
• clean pots and pans – Soaking a burnt pan in cola can help dissolve food stuck to it.
• Shine Metal Jewelry – Clean metal jewelry by briefly soaking it in cola. Do not do this with jeweled jewelry.
• remove rust – Coca-Cola removes rust from everything from bathroom fixtures to car parts.

7. Table salt

I actually love salt and consume a lot of it every day. I’m not a huge fan of regular iodized table salt for several reasons. If you have table salt you need to use, there are a few ways to do it.

weed killer

Make a herbicide for your driveway and sidewalk areas. Add 1 cup of salt and 1 tablespoon of dish soap per gallon of white vinegar. Fill a spray bottle or pump sprayer to use on weeds. Be careful not to spray it where you want to grow plants (garden, etc.).

Salt cleaning tips

Salt also makes a great natural cleaning scrub.

• Use salt to clean cast iron skillets, pots and pans (double-check the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions for nonstick pans).
• Adding salt to your coffee-stained mug will help remove dark stains.
• Massage salt and lemon juice into a wooden cutting board to freshen it up. Rinse and air dry.

And try these 3-ingredient salt dough ornaments for a fun project with kids! The recipe is similar to Play-Doh, but it dries quickly and the finished creation can be painted.

final thoughts

I hope this gave you some alternative ideas for junk food that might still be lurking in your pantry. If you haven’t already, consider switching to whole foods. Ingredients such as organic flour, grain-free flour (such as almond and coconut), grass-fed butter, olive oil, raw honey, and natural maple syrup can be delicious alternatives.

Do you have any other ideas for these materials? Tell us about it below.!