All my friends know that chocolate is my favorite treat, and if it is in my kitchen, the whole bag of Nestle Dark Chocolate Chips will be eaten in one sitting. Eating healthy can be a challenge, especially when there are delicious foods that sometimes just sound better, yet can cause health issues if consumed regularly. It is okay to eat them once in a while or in moderation, yet not every day. To combat my chocolate craving as well as set myself up for success in choosing healthy options, I follow the 7 tips below in organizing my kitchen.
Tips:
- Turn on some fun music to listen to while you organize.
- As you organize, clean the drawers and cabinets so they don’t have any food crumbs in them and they are sanitized.
- Organize everything by categories and make sure everything is visible. For example, all my baking ingredients are in one cabinet, my snacks in their snack drawer, my drinks such as tea and coffee are in another cabinet, and my condiments such as oil and vinegar are in a separate one. Nothing is stacked behind another, so each item is easily accessible.
- Do not keep the foods that tempt you the most in your kitchen. Instead, only eat them when you spend time with friends or celebrate an accomplishment. By doing so, this ensures you will not eat those tasty treats as often as well as decrease your craving for them.
- Store the least healthy foods in a place that takes more effort to get to or to grab. For example, I keep the unhealthy snacks downstairs in a pantry, which is a floor separate from the kitchen, where it takes more effort for me to get them. Another option is keeping those foods stored in a cabinet that you have to get a ladder to reach. Storing these foods in some place that takes more effort will decrease the temptation to grab them. Another option is to throw them away in yard waste if they are too tempting.
- Have a snack drawer that has healthy options to grab on the go. Examples include nuts, protein bars (my favorite is the Chocolate Sea Salt RXBar), and healthy chips (some of my favorites include kale chips and sweet potato chips).
- In the refrigerator, place the healthy snacks upfront where it is the first thing you see, which makes it more likely to grab. Examples include carrots and broccoli with ranch, or any of your favorite veggies, fruit, protein, etc. Do your best to stock your fridge with healthy options and ingredients that can be used to make healthy meals. Organize everything by category and ensure it is visible.
Like these tips and want some guidance with buying healthy foods and making healthy snacks/meals? Check out my articles on How to Implement Healthy Food Choices Without Overwhelming Yourself, and My Favorite Snacks.
Benson's Lifestyle 