Healthy Kitchen

by Liv Kellgren, WSFS Instructor

We are at a Cultural Tipping Point for healthy habits and conscious nutrition. Welcome aboard! We’re changing what we eat, we’re going to the gym, we’re meditating, we’re psyching ourselves up, but our kitchen can psych us back down. To maintain long-term, healthy habits on all levels, it’s important that we make changes at home, too… Changes that support our healthy  lifestyle! Here are a few action steps to maintain our inevitable success.

When we surround ourselves with what we want and what we need, we’re destined to succeed!

Get in those kitchen cupboards and cabinets.

Instead of looking through and picking OUT the stuff you don’t want anymore, pull EVERYTHING out and only replace those items you want, those items that will support your new healthy choices. Be prepared to wipe down the shelves and get the crumbs out of the corners, let go of broken or chipped dishes, throw out processed foods. If this project feels overwhelming, do just one cupboard a day. Keep in mind that getting back into shape is a process (it’s not an event), so naturally, getting our homes into shape will also be a process.

 

Put the rarely used items in places where you rarely reach, the more commonly used items in easy reach.

 

Oh! And if you’ve been “waiting” to use the good china, now’s the time. You are the special occasion you’ve been waiting for.

 

Same with the fridge: everything out and replace what is good for you.

Be prepared to wipe down the shelves, check expiration dates, and throw A LOT out. It’s hard to fill it up with the new, good stuff when it’s full of the old, bad stuff. When I open my fridge after a good purge, I can always breathe deeper. Tip: Clean out the fridge the night before the trash gets picked up. Otherwise it’s not pleasant, trust me.

 

Terah’s fridge is a great example of implementing natural materials as storage containers. Check out the ease, and she says, it “delights me every time I open it!”

 

And speaking of the fridge: Fridge Art.

Confirm that you see the photos and images of friends and family who love and support you. Take a good look at who, and what, is on the fridge now and choose who gets to stay and who gets to move on. That birthday photo of Gramma with the cake, the Gramma who always wants you to have 3rd helpings? You can keep her, just maybe not on your fridge right now. Replace her with a magazine cutout of people hiking, a party shot of your healthy cousins, your friends and fan club who love you for what you do best. Your kid’s artwork is a great choice, too. Any health mentors? Put them up and give them sayings: Refuel with clean foods! I know you can do it! One meal at a time!

 

Your countertops are the most valuable real estate in your kitchen.

Keep them clear and ready for refueling. Everything not kitchen or food-related can be relocated to a more appropriate destination: incoming mail to a desk, briefcase into the hall, home work into the kids’ work stations… you get the idea. In some houses, the kitchen is indeed command central and everything congregates there whether we want it to or not. Capture the floating pieces in containers or baskets so that when it’s time to cook and eat, it can all be easily shuffled off site and then returned when you’re finished. Hint: Everyone gets their own basket and let the kids choose their own.

 

Ideally, on the countertops are only those things you use every day. Everything else moves into a cupboard or cabinet. Want more shakes and smoothies? Put a blender on the countertop. Want to eat more fresh fruit and veggies? Fill a basket or bowl with a 2-3 day supply (you’ll now have room in the fridge for the rest, yeah?). Trying new recipes? Give the cookbooks a prominent place on the counter, too. Supplements? Protein powder? Refillable water bottle? You know it – on the countertop!

 

Hold it healthy, too.

Replace aluminum and plastic containers, pans, pots, bowls, plates, cups, utensils, spatulas and other baking equipment. Although aluminum & plastic are easily accessible, they interact with and scrape off into our food. Also, never put plastic in the microwave and never use metal spoons on your Teflon pans!

 

Instead, green up to glass, stainless steel, silicone, bamboo and other food safe, non-leeching materials. This includes fridge storage, pantry storage and to go containers, too. Bonus: These materials often last much longer than their plastic counterparts, so are well worth the initial investment.

 

This is my pantry. Our bulk items are all in glass and the kid-accessible food is all in non-breakable “bags.”

 

Going to an office each day? Avoid the break room.
Watch out for the cookies, cakes, and – dare I say it – crap. Bring your food in a small cooler or insulated bag and keep it at your desk so that you’re not tempted nor fooled by the break room antics. Co-workers who say, “Just one” do not have your best interest in mind (hence, the aforementioned…). During meetings, bring in your own snacks, water or tea. Keep a secret stash of protein bars in your car, too. You never know when you’re going to get crazy, monster hungry.

 

Do you share a kitchen with family or roommates?
Whenever possible, designate a particular drawer, cupboard, cabinet or counter space for just your things. When you know where to go for what you need, you’re less likely to wander around grazing on what isn’t a part of your plan. Worried about the health of these family members or roommates? They’ll see how happy and WOW you are and want some of that, too.

 

Environmental faux pas.
Broken appliances, burned out lights, missing handles, cracked windows, broken doors… none of these things help or support us moving forward into optimum health. Whatever your time and budget, fix, repair, or replace them as soon as possible. These small reminders can create unconscious feelings of unworthiness, poverty, exhaustion, struggle and missing resources. Overtime, these unconscious feelings become beliefs. Nobody needs that.

 

Please know that our evolution of health happens on many levels, and all these levels are connected. When we open our ‘Enlightened’ Feng Shui Eyes, we can see the connections between our home, workplaces, lifestyle and health. Cheers!