As consumers, we are largely beginning to reject the world of processed foods, shelf stable foods packed with preservatives and unhealthy methods of extending shelf life, and instead we are switching our diet to include many more fresh ingredients.

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Always Have Fresh Produce on Hand

The demand for these products has risen and so has our desire to eat better and make healthier food choices. One of the ways we can do this is to make sure that our home kitchen is set up in the most conducive way to promote healthy eating. Here are some of the ways we can do that.

Fresh produce can often be a hindrance to cooking healthy meals at home because it means more trips to the grocery store. It’s easy to put off a trip to the grocery store and it’s even easier to fill your cart with unhealthy snacks while you’re there. Having a good strategy for keeping fresh produce and herbs on hand will make you much more likely to produce healthy meals. Using a delivery service for these items is one good way, as is trying your hand at growing some of your own. In fact, herbs require little to no time or skill to grow at home. They can even grow right in your kitchen if you have a sunny spot to keep them.

Stay Organized

Don’t let your pantry become a mess of jars, bowls and packaging that requires rooting around in to find anything. Being able to quickly open the pantry and get what you’re looking for is going to make all the difference when you’re rushed or feeling demotivated. The smallest things might cause us to reach for a takeout menu instead of cooking, so being able to find all the ingredients you might need in an instant is more important than you might realize.

Use Smaller Plates and Bowls

The psychology of the human brain and the way we think is fascinating. Even if we know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, we can still benefit from it, and this little trick is no exception. Smaller plates take less food to fill up and since they’re full, we think it’s more food. Even if we know we’re using this trick, it still works. If the smaller plate doesn’t work directly, finishing your plate and pausing before going for a second helping might give you that little motivation you need to cut down on portion sizes.

Switch Your Cookware to Cast Iron

Studies that focus on Teflon coated cookware indicate that the non-stick coating is not good for us at all. When heated, it releases perfluorinated compounds that are linked to all kinds of unhealthy problems in the body. Cast iron cookware is naturally non-stick and cast iron skillets are amazing to cook on. Cast iron cookware will also help fortify your food with iron. Reading studies on this little-known fact that is often dismissed as an old wives’ tale might leave you quite surprised at the result of cooking with cast iron. Plus, since it’s some of the most robust cookware ever made, it’ll last you a lifetime.

Making small changes to the layout of our kitchen and the type of appliances and cookware we use is a great quick and easy first step to getting healthier because it promotes better eating habits. If the kitchen is a place you want to be, you’ll find yourself ordering less take-outs and cooking healthier food instead. The next step, i.e. self-control and supplementing healthy eating with exercise and a rounded lifestyle, is much more difficult!