If you’re looking to clean up your diet or simply nourish your body with healthy and high-quality foods, one of the best things you can do for yourself is ensure that your kitchen is a healthy eating haven.
Let’s face it – we all love food. With so many delicious and enticing dishes at our disposal these days it can be challenging to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Healthy eating is a lifestyle that you gradually work towards – it’s not an instant change overnight and is something that you have to continuously work on.
So, rather than deleting the Uber Eats app or going on a restrictive diet, there are ways you can prepare your kitchen to make having a healthier lifestyle easier and more intuitive. By ensuring that your kitchen is a healthy food haven, you’ll be able to make healthier choices and change your eating habits for the better.
Keep reading for 6 tips to creating a healthier lifestyle via the kitchen!
#1 – Gather Your Tools
Not having the proper appliances and tools to dish out healthy meals is one of the biggest obstacles to anyone’s healthy eating journey. By equipping yourself with kitchen essentials such as food processors, blenders, a good set of knives, a mandolin and quality cookware, you’ll be able to tackle any recipe that tickles your fancy.
Owning appliances that are conducive to cooking healthy and delicious meals is often the best form of inspiration and a great way to experiment with different recipes that you can add to your weekly repertoire.
#2 – Clean Out Your Pantry
Succumbing to junk food, chips and chocolate is easy when they are sitting in your pantry and calling out for you to indulge. Most dieticians agree that the best way to avoid eating junk food is to just not buy it.
By replacing unhealthy products with healthier options such as popcorn, veggie sticks, dips and nuts, you’ll be able to satisfy your snack cravings without blowing your calories. Always remember to shop smart because what you buy ends up in your cupboards and what you put in your cupboards will end up in your mouth!
#3 – Organise Your Fridge
Is your fridge full of unhealthy foods, or even worse, veggies and other ingredients that have gone off? So many of us end up buying ingredients with the best of intentions, only to end up ordering take out or heading out to a restaurant for dinner. In order to motivate yourself to cook healthy meals, organising your fridge is key.
A great tip is to keep healthy meals or snacks that you’ve made in the front of your fridge and at eye level. Instead of creating a giant mess in the veggie drawer, place produce that needs refrigeration in a bowl and at the front of your fridge — that way, every time you open your icebox for a snack, your eyes will go to your fresh and healthy option immediately!
#4 – Make A Shopping List
Making a shopping list comes with numerous benefits, some of which include saving money and making healthier choices at the supermarket. By creating a shopping list and meal plan that you can display on your fridge, you’ll be able to shop smarter and avoid the temptations that lurk at your grocery store.
On top of that, you’ll also save a significant amount of time at the store which you can instead spend on cooking up healthy meals and looking up fresh and new recipes that you’d like to try.
#5 – Herbs and Spices
Healthy doesn’t have to mean bland or boring, which is why getting friendly with your favourite herbs and spices is a great idea. Herbs and spices help to make your meals more flavourful and satisfying without the need to add excessive oils, butters or salt to your dish.
Dried herbs and spices are also a great option as they last years and can be used in a variety of different ways – think spice roasted nuts or veggies. If you’re a confident gardener, growing your own indoor herbs is also an incredibly fun and rewarding experience that will help take your dishes to the next level.
#6 – Do Your Prep Work
In order to avoid feeling overwhelmed on the weekdays, it’s always recommended to do some prep work on the weekend that will make it that much easier for you to quickly prepare your meals on weekday evenings.
Get the tedious work out of the way by chopping your veggies and other ingredients and sealing them in a mason jar or ziplock bag in the fridge. When the time comes to cook your meal, all you have to do is grab your pre-prepared ingredients and throw them into a pan.
By putting in the leg work early on, you greatly reduce the chances of ordering takeout on a whim or resorting to unhealthy meals and snacks when you are exhausted from a long and hard day at work.
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