Your weight loss plans could come to naught if your kitchen isn’t fitted to meet your weight loss goals and the fitness plans of your family. You do not need a new set of furnishing or equipment to put your plans on the floor; a careful assessment of the things in your fridge and the pantry and a checklist of things to add or delete will put you on the right course. For, as lifestyle experts observe, a healthier kitchen will lead to a healthier family.
Here are some tricks and tips to convert your kitchen to a health zone:
Fridge supplies
Keep your focus on not what you eat, but how you eat what you eat. Weight loss, often, is only about stocking your fridge with healthy foods. Place your comfort foods at the back; place water pitchers filled with detox ingredients in the front. Water infused with mint, ginger, lime slices and cucumber is good for all your family members. Use clear containers to store healthier food at eye level, so you reach it before attempting to dig for any calorie-laden foods. Place fresh fruits and salad vegetables in the front to help you stay on track. Take your weight loss journey a step forward by hanging signs that remind you of your weight goals. Seeing positive notes before opening the refrigerator door could help shift your mindset towards the right path.
Tools and accessories
Your weight loss mission could also be aided by a few kitchen tools and accessories that will help you reach there faster. While a juicer will help you kick-start your morning with a glass of fresh fruit juice without worrying about the calories, a food processor will aid your salad-making skills. With the juicer, your objective ought to be to avoid ready-to-drink fruit juices from the market – even those that say 100 per cent juice will most probably be processed juice from frozen fruit pulp. And, if you are planning to go all the way with your health plan, avoid non-stick pots and pans in favour of ceramic cookware or cast iron. Researchers studying chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), present in non-stick cookware, found a link between levels of the chemical in the blood and the individual’s difficulties to follow a weight loss diet. These chemicals are said to accumulate in drinking water and food chains and remain in the body for long periods, thus slowing down the metabolism and making weight loss that much more difficult.
Cutlery details
Cutlery surfaces in this feature on weight loss for the only reason that the size of the plates and bowls you use to serve food can play a role in dictating the amount you consume per sitting. And this is based on research. Studies have shown that larger plates deceive one to serve larger portions; the bare sections of the plate are said to make one feel deprived. Bring out smaller plates and bowls to make your mealtime affairs modest. Besides, serving food on coloured plates could also affect your consumption pattern. For, another study found that when the colour of the plate matches the colour of the food, the intake could increase by almost 20 per cent.
Portion snacks
Another weight gain spur is the unavoidable snack. When snacks are lying around the kitchen in big boxes, the chances of overloading the bowl are greater. Rarely, if ever, will a hungry person make time to measure the quantity of, say, chips or cereals from the box. This calls for building in portion control to cut down the calories that you will be consuming per serving. If 100-calorie is your margin, you could make your own little bags of snacks to avoid serving more than what you intend to. Make portion-controlled bags that the family can pick when hunger strikes.
Cut distractions
Make food a family time – sans phones, television or laptop. If you want to eat the right foods and in the right portion, keep your focus only on the food on your plate. And, remember the 80 per cent rule when filling your stomach.