Make Your Kitchen Lean

Your trip to the supermarket can make or break your healthy eating plan so listen up.  Making unhealthy foods and drinks harder to reach in your fridge and cabinets is just one strategy you can use to stick to your new lifestyle and not deprive yourself in the process.  Tame the Ben and Jerry’s cravings  and take control of your taste buds with these tips:

1.       Make it hard on yourself.  If you like ice cream (who doesn’t, right?) it’s ok to eat it but control your intake (or inhale) of it by placing it strategically in the very back of your freezer or in a freezer that is located some distance away (like in the garage).  This will make it inconvenient for you to eat it which might make you grab something closer to the front of the fridge.  From now on, you will place all fruits and vegetables very conveniently located in the front of the refrigerator to grab easily.

2.       The same thing goes for your cabinets—don’t put the chips and cookies right in the  front of the cabinet where you see them every time you reach for a snack.  Place healthier snacks in front like granola bars, almonds, dried fruit, canned fruit or light popcorn so you will be tempted to reach for these first.

3.       Replace carbonated drinks with a healthier drink like green tea.  Its antioxidants have been shown to boost your metabolism and help you burn more calories when combined with consistent exercise throughout the week.  Ditch the soda since it causes bloating which works against your fitness goals.

4.       Chop your veggies in advance.  Do this at the beginning of the week and you will save yourself the trouble of doing it later.  Plus you will be more likely to snack on veggies that have been prewashed and chopped than if you have to chop them later.

5.       Do you have a stool in your kitchen to sit on while you cook?  Get rid of it!  Instead of sitting, march in place, do a few squats while the rice or noodles are cooking or do some standing abdominal twists.  Use your kitchen and your cooking time to your advantage and burn some calories while you work.  Use your counter for pushups, or your step stool for step ups.

There are many ways to give your kitchen a makeover, and keep yourself slim in the process.  Start with these strategies and add your own variations based on your specific tastes and the possibilities of your kitchen space.  The same sound principles of eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies apply so make it easy on yourself by reducing temptations!  Plan and prepare for a time-crunched week ahead of time and reward yourself for sticking with the plan.

Have a healthy week!