Stack the Kitchen In Your Favour

Keep the Kitchen Clean

Make a rule and share it with every member of the family: Dirty dishes are never to be left in the sink, and the counters and table are to remain clean. You'll be far more motivated to cook healthy meals if you don't have to clean the kitchen first.

Place a Fruit Bowl On the Counter

Make fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, and kiwis the first foods you see when you enter the house ravenous at the end of the day or swing by the kitchen for a snack. A flatter bowl is better than a deep one because most fruits keep best unstacked.

Stock the Spice Rack

Spices will help you flavour your meals without adding fat or calories. Keep dry rubs for meats, Italian seasoning, lemon-herb seasoning, and other favourites in a spicerack on your kitchen counter, or tucked away in your pantry door for easy access. Some spice- including ginger, cayenne, turmeric, fresh garlic, minced onion, curry, basil, oregano, and rosemary- have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powers. Keep these handy to flavour meats and vegetables.

Be Sure to Use Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Because extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of olives and contains no refined oils, it has high-levels of phenols, antioxidants that help prevent high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Buy a Vegetable Steamer

It’s the healthiest way to cook vegetables because nutrients aren’t lost in the water. Choose a metal steamer basket (fill it with veggies, place over a saucepan of rapidly simmering water, cover, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes) or a microwave steamer (add a small amount of water to the bottom of the container , and veggies to the basket, and cook for two to five minutes).

Keep an Electric Grinder On the Counter

Use a coffee grinder to grind whole flaxseeds so it’s convenient for you to add these important sources of fibre and omega-3 fatty acids to your cereal, salad, yogourt, and baked good batter.

Place a Pretty Pitcher in the Fridge

Take your prettiest pitcher, fill it with ice, water, and lemon wedges, and place it front and centre in the fridge. Whenever you open the refrigerator out of boredom pour yourself a glass of water. Researchers in Germany studied people’s metabolism after they drank about 17 ounces of water. Within 10 minutes if taking the drink, they burned 30 per cent more calories than before they drank the water, and the boost in their metabolism lasted for 30 to 40 minutes. More bonuses: water flushes impurities out of your body, and guards against water retention.

Banish Junk Food from the Kitchen

If your family insists on having bags of sugary, salty, fatty, snacks around the house, tell them to store the snacks where you won’t find them. Hiding places outside of the kitchen are best. Tell your spouse to stash his or her chips in the garage or the trunk of the car.