We make all kinds of resolutions at the beginning of every year and for most of it is about eating healthy and living a luxurious lifestyle. However, to make this transition, it is imperative to start with small changes like setting up a kitchen that promotes healthy eating.
If you have already crossed a month and have still no success with the resolutions, then don’t beat yourself up because of the failure but take the challenge head on. You should instead make it easier for yourself to be able to adapt to the changes and make it easier to stay committed to your goals. These feel good kitchen interior ideas will be helpful in giving you a head start to start establishing a kitchen that encourages you to eat quality food.
Accessorize with fruits
[Image: Shannon Malone]
Colourful fruits on a dining table are not just a pleasant thing to see, but they can be arranged on a large platter to appear more inviting. Take out those fruit bowls or cake stands that have not seen a light of day for many years. This simple yet gorgeous display will provide you the encouragement to keep your home well stocked with fresh fruits, and they will subconsciously become your first choice to snack on when you are hungry midday.
Keep fresh spices and herbs within reachable distance
[Image: Bright Green]
When you add fresh herbs to your food, you can make it not only healthy but also savoury which will help you in proactively avoiding unhealthy foods like salt, butter, etc. These foods are known to enhance the flavour, and this is why it is hard for us to let it go initially. But once there are tastier and healthier alternatives within reach, it becomes much easier to form good eating habits. In this image, the kitchen has been set up with a vertical green herb garden, which is not only a great sight, but also act as a constant reminder to use these flavouring agents.
If you do not have a kitchen that gets enough sunlight or air, then you can store these herbs in clean and dry jars and place them at hand so that you can use them without too much effort.
Make your pantry look pretty
[Image: Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC.]
Keep all your healthy items close at hand and place all the low-calorie snacks easy to reach so that your first instinct is to grab something healthy when you have a hunger pang. You can also hide all your chocolates in a place where they are not visible to you and must be accessed only when you are facing extreme craving. This way, you can avoid the temptation of grabbing one every time you enter the pantry.
Enjoy your cooking sessions
[Image: Emily McCall]
Don’t treat cooking as a chore but make it enjoyable by putting in speakers, radio or docking station to play your favourite tunes while you are making food. While you are in the kitchen enjoying your time experimenting with your culinary skills, get a couple of things done at the same time so that you have healthy food choices ready for the next couple of days. This whole exercise is less time-consuming and you would have done a lot by the end of it.
Use technology to promote and not stall your kitchen chores
If you enjoy watching cooking shows then putting a TV in another room will keep you hooked watching the recipes while you ignore the actual activity. Instead, equip your kitchen with a small TV so that you can catch up on your favourite shows when you are doing your time in the kitchen. You can also add an iPad station in the kitchen and keep it up to date with the latest recipes so that you have an impetus to try out new things.
Keep all your small appliances handy
[Image: Struthers Dias Architects]
When you have to put in far too much effort to locate the small items, chances are that they will end up at the back of the cabinet, never to be used again. Bring out all your small appliances like a crock pot or juicer that has been eating dirt in your storage cupboards.
[Image: Vetsch Custom Cabinets]
Small appliances clutter do not clutter your counter tops and work wonders in enhancing the food flavour in a healthy way.
At some point, you can also plan to add a cabinet as one of storage ideas that holds only appliances so that it can be reached when you need.
Keep your fridge organized
[Image: GE Monogram]
Remove all the items from the fridge and clean it properly. You can also organize it in such a way that all your healthy food and produce are in the front and the other items are at the back.
Have a dedicated tea station
[Image: Tracey Bissett]
Tea is a very relaxing beverage, which is a lot healthier than coffee and can come in very handy when you have a craving to munch on something unhealthy. You can quickly brew yourself a cup and enjoy its warm, comforting feeling down your throat. This works wonders and helps you in quitting that urge you have to snack on chocolate biscuits in the evening.
Eat small portions
[Image: thisishappinessblog.blogspot.in]
The best way to limit the size of a portion is by eating in small plates. When you see that the plate is overflowing, it automatically tricks the brain into believing that you are full and do not feel the need to take another serving. You can try to use smaller plates next time and see if that works for you as much as it has been advocated.
Have your comfortable shoes close by
[Image: Cushman Design Group]
Standing for long hours in the kitchen can be dissuading and can make you want to skip cooking. Instead, keep good shoes in the kitchen that can provide sufficient support to your feet while you are working. You can keep your sneakers in a cupboard or a drawer close to your work area.
These suggestions are just to give your promise to eat healthy a jump start. You can also innovate and use other techniques that can make your job easier, enjoyable and cooking becomes fun and not a responsibility. Soon you would notice that the eating habits have improved exponentially.
