It’s obvious that keeping healthy food in your kitchen is a great way to get started with eating and living healthier, but you also need to consider the way that your kitchen is laid out. This doesn’t mean things like feng shui, as that won’t affect your cholesterol, but keeping your kitchen looking warm and inviting is a great way to encourage people to stay in there and cook properly.
So how do you go about doing that?
Music Goes a Long Way
Have you ever tried listening to music while you’re cooking food or eating it? You should.
Music can have a dramatic effect on your cooking, just like it can affect your studying and ability to work. The best part about mixing music and cooking is choosing the right music for your cooking task.
Rock and roll sounds like it would go great with mashing potatoes and pounding cutlets, while classical music like Mozart mixes well with making a salad. Really it doesn’t matter what genre you pair up with each task as long as cooking is associated with the good vibes you get from your music. This is going to put you in a better mood and make you less likely to make an unhealthy food choice.
Get yourself a good radio, grab a docking station for your phone or iPod, or just buy a CD player and set the right mood for your kitchen.
Show off Your Fruits
When you get hungry your mind goes to something quick and easy and it’s often unhealthy.
What you want to do is display your fruit so that you can see it clearly when you’re in the mood to grab something. Get a glass bowl and fill it with fruit. If you want something more unique then put fruit on a cake stand. The more colourful you can make it the better. Get apples, oranges, bananas, peaches, pears, and anything with a lot of colour.
Just don’t forget to restock it and stick to fruit that’s in season.
Get Some Herbs
Everyone knows how much spices can bring life to their food. So you need to keep herbs and spices handy. Herbs add flavour to healthy food which can stop you from using a unhealthier alternative to do so like salt or butter.
It’s important that you have plants in your kitchen so something you can consider is having your own little herb garden in your kitchen. That way you grow your own herbs and they’re always there when you need them.
Remember that plants and herbs need fresh air and sunlight to survive. Find the right spot for your plants. You can also keep your herbs in a decorated jar to brighten up your kitchen and keep them handy.
Proper Lighting
You won’t have much luck making that healthy meal if you can’t see what you’re doing. It’s pretty important you can see clearly when you’re working with food and using sharp utensils too.
So make sure that your kitchen has proper lighting. Whether you use a ceiling downlighter or get an additional table lamp you need to cover your culinary treats in a warm glow that makes them look even tastier. Getting the right lighting can make even the most boring salad look great.
If you’re planning on using your kitchen as a dining room then you should consider getting a dimmer switch. A dimmer switch lets you turn down the lights to create the right atmosphere to enjoy the food you worked so hard to make. You can also just get some candles and set the mood. You don’t need to wait for a special occasion to use them.
Sort out Your Pantry
Just like displaying fruit properly will keep you from making bad snacking choices, organising your pantry is just as important. Sort out the food neatly to stop it looking cluttered and keep the healthy foods at the front so you notice them right away. Put the unhealthy foods to the back and put all the low-calorie food right at the front. Remember that if it’s out of sight it’s going to be out of mind too.
You should also shop small. Don’t overstock your pantry. The more food you have in there the more likely you are to overeat too. Only buy a lot of the things you use a lot like milk.
These are just some of the ways to get the most out of your kitchen. Keeping your kitchen in good shape is an important step to keeping yourself in good shape.
