13 Tips on How to Reorganize Your Kitchen for a Healthy Lifestyle
7 minute read
Is the key to eating healthier and losing weight in the way you set up your kitchen? It very well could be.There are some small steps most of us could take to change our kitchen and prompt us to make healthier food choices.
Of course, this is not a guarantee. If you hide the cookies in the back of the cupboard, you probably still know they’re there and will go fishing for them when you have a craving. That said, maybe you won’t grab them on impulse when you first open the cupboard i they aren’t readily visible.
Try the following techniques to give your kitchen a healthy, weight loss-inspired update.
1. Preplan Portions
Rather than having a large bowl of candy or a big bag of chips at the ready, create your own 100-calorie snack bags. Do this ahead of time. That way, when you’re ravenous and ready for a snack, you’re less likely to plow through half a bag of chips or a bowl of candy.
2. Measuring Cups
Do you eat the recommended serving size or just as much as you want? Having measuring cups on the counter (or even in the cereal box) means you can easily grab a recommended serving and save yourself hundreds of calories over the course of the day.
3. Eat by Example
Post inspiration around your kitchen to help you keep your mind on your health and fitness goals and eat appropriately. A study of the relationship between eating and mindset found a correlation between portion sizes and the goal of the meal.
Decreased portion sizes can help you achieve a healthy weight. By posting inspiration and health tips throughout your kitchen, you can remind yourself to stay on track and make appropriately-sized meal choices.
4. Out of Sight, Out of Mind
If the first thing you see when you open your cupboard is unhealthy, you need to rearrange that cupboard. Put healthy snacks in front so you’re more likely to grab them before the unhealthy ones.
Even better, replace the unhealthy ones with healthy ones so there isn’t that temptation.
5. Make Water a Priority
Sometimes people mistake the feeling of thirst for hunger, thereby eating when what they really need is water. Or, when they are dehydrated, they drink something sugary and full of calories when they could have had water.
Keep a water glass nearby, so you can refill throughout the day. Filtered water in the fridge means it’s just as easy to grab as a soda. And if you really need a little flavor, try creating your own detox water recipes or trying out the special benefits of drinking hot water, so you have a healthy beverages at hand.
| Related: 11 Reasons Why You Should Drink Lemon Water |
6. Small Plates
One way to make sure you stick to smaller portions is to have smaller plates. Update your old plates with a smaller set. In what amounts to a type of mind trick, you’ll have less room to fill yet your mind can feel just as full.
7. Add a Fruit Bowl
Encourage healthy snacking by putting it front and center. Adding a fruit bowl to your kitchen is a quick and easy way to encourage yourself and your family to opt for fruit instead of a cookie.
8. Put Food Away
Do you open a bag of chips or cookies and then leave them out on the counter? Get in the habit of putting stuff away and you’re less likely to grab and snack. That out of sight out of mind trick works in so many ways.
9. Make Treats Special
If possible, don’t even have treats in your house. By removing the access to sweets, you remove the thought that they should be a part of your everyday life. Instead, make having a treat a special event.
| Related: 9 Habits of Blue Zones You Can Follow to a Healthier Life |
Family Friday nights at the ice cream shop, for example, let everyone have something they love to eat, but it doesn’t encourage eating treats every day. It also helps create great habits and memories.
10. Keep It Clean and Organized
One study looked at how environment affected college students’ eating habits. They discovered that a cluttered, chaotic environment can trigger bad eating habits. But they also found that the right sort of mindset can help protect you from making those bad choices.
On the flip side, be careful how you wash your old kitchen sponge. You may just want to buy a new one.
11. Make Room for Leftovers
When you’re cooking a healthy meal, double or triple the recipe. That’s right; you want to ensure you’ll have leftovers. You can leave them in the fridge or even freeze them for later.
That way, when you’re hungry but short on time, you can quickly grab a healthy meal.
12. Take the TV Out
Are you one of those people who has a TV in their kitchen? What about super-comfy chairs? If you make your kitchen less comfortable, you’re less apt to hang out there.
Now there’s a balance here—if comfy chairs mean your family hangs out with you while you cook, you might not pop as much food in your mouth but rather spend time talking. But if comfort and entertainment mean constant grazing, it’s time for a kitchen redo.
13. Get a Smaller Table
Do you bring all of the food out to the table and go with self-serve, family-style meals? This is great for the holidays, but not so good for every day.
Instead, get a smaller table and have everyone get up and serve themselves from the stove or kitchen counter. They’re less likely to grab seconds or even thirds when they have to work to get it.
The Bottom Line
Dieting is hard, while willpower is even more difficult to master. If you change your lifestyle, though, it’s not dieting but just a way of life. This means that you’re more likely to succeed in your weight loss and health goals.
One way to jump start your new approach to food is to focus on the place where you keep your food: your kitchen. This is a great first step, as it gives you constant support to do the right thing.
Little and big steps work together to help you learn better eating habits and develop a healthier relationship with food.
