Kitchen Designs to Support Healthy Eating Goals

Creating, planning for, and sticking to a healthy diet can be difficult.  It can also be frustrating when you are trying to build and stick to a healthy lifestyle but are constantly deterred by an unhelpful kitchen design.  Don’t let an unorganized or cluttered kitchen keep you from your healthy eating goals. Set up your kitchen to work with your goals, not against them.  Here are several options to consider when designing your kitchen to better accommodate your healthy eating goals.

Choose Colors Wisely

Why talk about paint colors when addressing healthy eating goals?  Because the color of your kitchen can evoke a variety of feelings that will either help your health eating attempts or hurt them.  For instance, red is known as a color of passion.  But it has a tendency to boost your appetite and bring out a desire for food.  Completely opposite of red is blue, the color of tranquility.  Blue promotes calm and reduces the desire to frantically consume food.  Lastly, painting your kitchen green will connect you better to nature.  It also helps curb your appetite and promote connection with the food you consume.  Green not only connects you to nature, it is also a popular color among home buyers.

Invest in Smart Technology

Technology is extremely beneficial if you are trying to adopt healthier eating habits.  Smart kitchen appliances make organizing, cooking, and storing foods simple.  Smart range hoods are a very beneficial cooking upgrade.  Not only do they automatically turn on the exhaust fan when too much steam, heat, or grease is detected it also allows for video chat, access to stored recipes, music, movies, and social media.  Food can be more efficiently stored in a smart refrigerator.  This high-tech appliance provides a see-through refrigerator door for easier viewing as well as a screen to display recipes, shopping lists, or digital pinboard.  A final kitchen appliance to add is a smart food scale.  Smart food scales go beyond average scales and can walk you through your recipe after your food is measured.  Most smart scales connect to a fitness platform such as MyFitnessPal so you can easily log your calories and macronutrients.  All of the smart appliances are capable of voice and smart phone commands.  In addition to being beneficial to support healthy eating goals they are also Energy Star certified.  According to trusted real estate agents, Energy Star certified appliances are highly valued by home buyers.

Organize Cupboards and Pantries

How you organize your cupboards and pantry is very important if you want to create healthier eating habits.  A cluttered pantry makes it difficult to find healthy items.  If you want to make it a habit to reach for a healthy snack, put those items right in the front of your cabinet or pantry.  This will reduce confusion and frustration, making building healthier habits easier.  If your cupboards are deep or extra large you can install pullout cupboard shelves.  These will make organizing, storing, and finding all your food options much easier.  You can also install a spice rack on the inside of your pantry or cupboard door.

In order to completely organize your cupboards and pantry you should first remove all of the items.  When the areas are clear, wipe down surfaces so that you have a clean area to begin with.  Throw away or donate items that do not fit with your healthy lifestyle.  Also, check the expiration date of items.  If they are old, throw them away.  Now, it’s time to organize.  Group your spices together as well as your baking items such as flour, sugar, brown sugar, etc.  Keep them grouped together in separate containers that are clearly labeled.  Group together cereals, crackers, breads, fruits, and vegetables that do not need to be stored in the refrigerator.  If you are interested, you can put items such as salt, flour, and sugars in clear containers that are labeled.

Organizing your kitchen to create a healthier lifestyle may take a bit of time as well as a bit of trial and error until you find a system that works for you.  Keep healthy options visible, make cooking easy, and leave unhealthy items out of the kitchen. This will ensure that there is less frustration and more success on your journey to a healthier lifestyle.