Your kitchen is where all your food is (duh), but this means that the kitchen can have a huge impact on your weight loss and overall wellbeing. According to Marlene Schwartz, deputy director of the Rudd Centre for Food Policy & Obesity at YaleUniversity, ‘There are some basic principles from the behavioural treatment of obesity…that we have applied to a number of different settings, and they definitely can be applied at home. People eat what’s easiest to access, and what they can see. It sounds so obvious, but I think people are humbled by how much of our eating is automatic and unconscious.’ Mary Story, a professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota, adds, ‘I think probably the best thing families can do is not have unhealthy foods in the house or the kitchen. If they ‘re not buying chips, they don’t have them. That’s probably the best thing they can do to eat healthy.’ So how can you make your kitchen more diet-friendly?
1. Clear Your Countertops: Wellness expert Joseph Brownstein explains, ‘Easily visible food provides a constant reminder of its availability, and is therefore likely to be eaten first. So make sure snack foods don’t have a prominent place. The last thing you want is a clear cookie jar on the counter.’
2. Get a Fruit Bowl: ‘We know that if the food — the fresh fruit — is out and visible on the counter…that’s an area we know can actually work well,’ says Story. Brownstein comments, ‘It’s important to make sure the visible fruits and vegetables are ones that require little prep, such as apples, oranges, bananas and grapes, as opposed to pineapples and mangoes. Restock the bowl often.’
3. Get Some Clear Containers: Brownstein details, ‘A basic principle of snacking is to follow the school lunch programme recommendations, which limit calorie-dense foods such as complex starches, fats and proteins but make fruits and vegetables completely available in whatever quantity people want. Some fruits and vegetables need advance prep and cutting, but once they go into the refrigerator, they should be in clear containers, to remind you of what to grab when you’re hungry between meals.’
4. Store Meals in Single-Serving Containers: ‘When putting away leftovers, it’s best to put them away in meal-size portions, whether for future lunches or dinners,’ Brownstein asserts. ‘At times, calorie-dense dinner leftovers might make for a more appealing snack than baby carrots, but you may be less likely to dig in if you know it will leave you hungry at lunch the next day. Choosing freezer-safe containers will give you even more storage options.’
5. Use Your Freezer: ‘If you don’t have a definite plan for your leftovers, don’t simply toss them in the refrigerator,’ warns Brownstein. ‘Because it allows you to put away food for future use rather than snacking down on leftover chicken or lasagne instead of eating an apple. It also allows for better meal planning.’ Schwartz comments, ‘If you have the little single-serving containers and you put them in…you only defrost as much as you’re going to need.’
6. Rearrange Your Refrigerator: ‘Depending on the type of refrigerator you have, you may benefit from some rearranging,’ says Brownstein. ‘Some refrigerators with a freezer on the bottom have clear vegetable bins at eye level – which is a good place to keep them. But if you have a refrigerator where the freezer is at the top, and the vegetable bin is at your knees, then there’s a good reason not to keep your veggies in the drawer. Opaque bins keep your healthiest — and more perishable — foods hidden. So if you have them, don’t put fruits and veggie in the crisper, instead, put them higher up, in a visible spot.’
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