How to organize yourself and prepare your kitchen for healthy beginnings
If you are kick-starting a wellness regime, it helps to optimize your environment to make it conducive to healthy eating. Organizing your kitchen will put you on the right path to health. And remember embarking on healthy eating takes some planning. So let’s get going! Does your pantry have three half full bottles of rancid vegetable oils? Partially opened bags of chips and cookies? Don’t be intimated by the task at hand. Remember these are necessary steps to improve your health and wellness. Let’s start with removing those partially and seldom used items from your cupboards and countertops. And then strive to replace those unhealthy partially opened processed foods with healthier choices. Phew!
Here are some more great tips:
1.Equip your kitchen with the proper appliances. Eg. Steamer for your veggies and fish, sharp knives to cut up your produce, stainless steel pots and pans that cook foods without adding toxic metals.
2.Make sure your refrigerator, freezer and cupboard are stocked with fresh produce and lean healthy meats. Keep your produce at eye level. Note to self- keep a pitcher filled with mineral rich cucumber infused water.
3.Move cookies, chips and cereals out of sight. Replace with a bowl of fresh fruit, nuts, dried fruit and whole grain breads. Here’s why: “The Cornell Food and Brand Lab found that women who kept soft drinks on their counter weighed 24-26 pounds more. Women who kept a box of cereal on the counter, weighed an average 20 pounds more. Cookies, 8 pounds more. And women who had a fruit bowl visible weighed about 13 pounds less than neighbors who didn’t.”
4.Create an area in your kitchen that is dedicated to growing fresh herbs. Have you seen those cool vertical gardens—they are truly a work of art that allows you to grow the herbs of your choice right inside your home.
5.Clean up the Pantry- Keep your healthy items front and center and use baskets to stash your produce. Make sure you have the following staples: ¥ Garlic (boosts the immune system, low in calories and rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Manganese) ¥ Extra-virgin olive oil (fatty acids and antioxidants in it have some powerful health benefits, such as a reduced risk of heart disease) ¥ Low-sodium chicken broth (adds flavor in cooking without fat) ¥ Beans (least expensive source of protein. High in iron, potassium and zinc) ¥ Eggs- “egg-cellent” source of proteins
6. Prep ahead- Spend time each week, preparing your vegetables and fruits so they are easy to access and cook with. Wash and dry produce and place in see through containers or baggies.
These wonderful suggestions are the start to help you cultivate some new healthy habits. With these ideas, and a laser-focused approach, I am confident that you will be off to a wonderful healthy beginning.. Here’s to your Health!
Joy Feldman is a writer, author and lecturer. She has an international private nutritional consulting practice and has authored Joyful Cooking in the Pursuit of Good Health and Is Your Hair Made of Donuts? To find out more information: joyfeldman.com or isyourhairmadeofdonuts.com
