12 Ways to Set Up Your Kitchen for Healthy Eating
Making smart food choices is easier when your kitchen is part of your support team
Becky Harris
January 11, 2019
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
As we move deeper into January, don’t get discouraged if you’ve slipped on your New Year’s resolutions to eat more healthfully or lose weight. Instead, make reaching those goals easier to accomplish by getting the right cooking and dining setup to form new habits. There are many things you or your designer can do in your kitchen to make it easier to choose healthy options. Here are some tips that can help you create new habits and stick to them.
1. Keep Fresh Herbs and Spices Handy
Herbs make healthy food much more savory and flavorful, which will help you cut down on less healthy choices like salt and butter. Plus, they enliven the kitchen with their lovely green leaves and interesting textures.
Find a local kitchen designer on Houzz
Herbs make healthy food much more savory and flavorful, which will help you cut down on less healthy choices like salt and butter. Plus, they enliven the kitchen with their lovely green leaves and interesting textures.
Find a local kitchen designer on Houzz
Keeping things alive indoors can be a challenge for a lot of us. Herb plants need fresh air and sunlight to thrive. Simply keeping herb jars at hand in a cabinet near the stovetop is the low-maintenance version of this suggestion.
Shop for spice jars and spice racks on Houzz
Shop for spice jars and spice racks on Houzz
2. Enjoy Making Pretty Still Lifes out of Your Produce
This sounds silly, but it works. Put out a favorite platter, fruit bowl or cake stand and play with arranging your produce. It will inspire you to keep the kitchen stocked with an array of colorful fruits and vegetables, and they’ll always be the first thing you see when entering the kitchen for a snack.
This sounds silly, but it works. Put out a favorite platter, fruit bowl or cake stand and play with arranging your produce. It will inspire you to keep the kitchen stocked with an array of colorful fruits and vegetables, and they’ll always be the first thing you see when entering the kitchen for a snack.
3. Play Favorite Tunes While You Cook
Have a radio, docking station or speakers set up so you can enjoy catching up on a favorite podcast or playlist while you cook.
And once you’re enjoying what you’re listening to, try to get several things done once you’re on a cooking roll so you’re prepped for the week’s menu plan. Put the quinoa in the slow cooker while baking sweet potatoes, whip up mini quiches in muffin tins and cook spaghetti squash. Putting in an hour will ensure that you’ll have plenty of healthy options that are ready to go
Have a radio, docking station or speakers set up so you can enjoy catching up on a favorite podcast or playlist while you cook.
And once you’re enjoying what you’re listening to, try to get several things done once you’re on a cooking roll so you’re prepped for the week’s menu plan. Put the quinoa in the slow cooker while baking sweet potatoes, whip up mini quiches in muffin tins and cook spaghetti squash. Putting in an hour will ensure that you’ll have plenty of healthy options that are ready to go
4. Add Other Electronic Devices You Like to Use in the Kitchen
If you like to whisk along with your favorite cooking shows, install a TV in the kitchen so you can keep up with your favorite chefs.
If you like to whisk along with your favorite cooking shows, install a TV in the kitchen so you can keep up with your favorite chefs.
And if you love to keep track of new recipes on the internet, make an electronic tablet station a part of your kitchen. Place it near a plug where it can be charged and the cord will be out of harm’s way.
5. Organize the Pantry in an Attractive Way
Keep your healthy items front and center and make low-cal snacks easy to find. Hide your chocolate stash so you don’t get tempted by seeing it every time you open the pantry or food cabinet door.
Keep your healthy items front and center and make low-cal snacks easy to find. Hide your chocolate stash so you don’t get tempted by seeing it every time you open the pantry or food cabinet door.
6. Set Up a Tea Station
Making tea is a wonderfully relaxing ritual. Sometimes the scent and warm comfort of tea can waylay the urge for a junk food snack. A good new habit is to have a special teatime break in the afternoon. To make this as easy as possible, store and organize the tea bags somewhere handy, and give your favorite teacups and saucers prime kitchen real estate. Keep the kettle ready to go on the stove.
Making tea is a wonderfully relaxing ritual. Sometimes the scent and warm comfort of tea can waylay the urge for a junk food snack. A good new habit is to have a special teatime break in the afternoon. To make this as easy as possible, store and organize the tea bags somewhere handy, and give your favorite teacups and saucers prime kitchen real estate. Keep the kettle ready to go on the stove.
7. Organize the Fridge
Take everything out, give it a good cleaning, and keep the great food that you’ve made and the produce that needs refrigerating in the front at eye level. Use glass containers to keep the view to these items clear. Instead of creating a jumble in the veggie drawer, place fruit that needs refrigeration in a favorite bowl in the front — that way when you open the fridge for a snack, your eyes will go to it first.
Take everything out, give it a good cleaning, and keep the great food that you’ve made and the produce that needs refrigerating in the front at eye level. Use glass containers to keep the view to these items clear. Instead of creating a jumble in the veggie drawer, place fruit that needs refrigeration in a favorite bowl in the front — that way when you open the fridge for a snack, your eyes will go to it first.
8. Make Chopping a Breeze
Those who are new to cooking with lots of produce may not have a great chopping setup. Keep your cutting board and good knives handy, and find a spot where you can create a convenient chopping station — where you can swipe the seeds and stems right into the compost bin, sink or trash.
Browse cutting boards in the Houzz Shop
Those who are new to cooking with lots of produce may not have a great chopping setup. Keep your cutting board and good knives handy, and find a spot where you can create a convenient chopping station — where you can swipe the seeds and stems right into the compost bin, sink or trash.
Browse cutting boards in the Houzz Shop
9. Make Sure Small Appliances Are Readily Available
Digging through a messy cabinet for the pieces of a smoothie maker or steamer, or having to bend down and get a food processor or slow cooker from a low cabinet, will discourage you from using them. Find spaces that make key small appliances convenient to use on a regular basis, even if it means adding some countertop clutter. If storing small appliances on a countertop bothers you, consider adding an appliance garage or other special cabinetry that allows easy access to small appliances.
Find a cabinet pro on Houzz
Digging through a messy cabinet for the pieces of a smoothie maker or steamer, or having to bend down and get a food processor or slow cooker from a low cabinet, will discourage you from using them. Find spaces that make key small appliances convenient to use on a regular basis, even if it means adding some countertop clutter. If storing small appliances on a countertop bothers you, consider adding an appliance garage or other special cabinetry that allows easy access to small appliances.
Find a cabinet pro on Houzz
10. Keep Sneakers Close at Hand
Cooking requires a lot of standing, so have good support for your feet while you work. Keep your sneakers stashed in a drawer, closet or mudroom nearby. Or put an anti-fatigue mat where you tend to stand the most in the kitchen, such as in front of the sink or wherever you do prep work.
Cooking requires a lot of standing, so have good support for your feet while you work. Keep your sneakers stashed in a drawer, closet or mudroom nearby. Or put an anti-fatigue mat where you tend to stand the most in the kitchen, such as in front of the sink or wherever you do prep work.
11. Post an Inventory
When an earlier version of this story was published, Houzz users added some great suggestions in the Comments. User PirateFoxy advised keeping a list of healthy foods that are ready to eat in the kitchen to make it easy to see the options. Using a chalkboard, a dry-erase board or a note on the fridge or snack cabinet is an easy way to do this.
When an earlier version of this story was published, Houzz users added some great suggestions in the Comments. User PirateFoxy advised keeping a list of healthy foods that are ready to eat in the kitchen to make it easy to see the options. Using a chalkboard, a dry-erase board or a note on the fridge or snack cabinet is an easy way to do this.
12. Make Temptations Hard to Reach
The pros at CBH Architects chimed in with “Hide the cookies! Hide the booze!” and suggested putting all the cookies somewhere out of sight and relocating all the alcohol to a high cabinet that requires a step stool. Though I feel compelled to add, once the imbibing has commenced, do not perch atop a counter stool or climb any sort of step stool or ladder!
Share: These suggestions are just a starting point. Please share in the Comments the kitchen setup tricks that have helped you develop healthy eating habits.
More on Houzz
How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers for Good
See inspiring photos of kitchens
Find a pro for your home project
Shop for kitchen products
The pros at CBH Architects chimed in with “Hide the cookies! Hide the booze!” and suggested putting all the cookies somewhere out of sight and relocating all the alcohol to a high cabinet that requires a step stool. Though I feel compelled to add, once the imbibing has commenced, do not perch atop a counter stool or climb any sort of step stool or ladder!
Share: These suggestions are just a starting point. Please share in the Comments the kitchen setup tricks that have helped you develop healthy eating habits.
More on Houzz
How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers for Good
See inspiring photos of kitchens
Find a pro for your home project
Shop for kitchen products
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@blackwhitestripe, totally agree! I wash my smoothie produce when I get home from the store and put the mixed berries in one smoothie glass container so they are easy to prep when I'm bleary eyed, and sometimes I put the ingredients that will stay fresh together in the cup the night before. And the Ninja has to stay out on the counter in my face to force me to make them!
I'm devouring these comments! My aim is to eat 85/15 with 85% good, healthy and 15% not so great. Breaking the sugar habit is so hard even though I know how bad it is in so many ways.
We have a small home/kitchen/pantry, making it necessary to buy and eat more fresh food, rather than having pre-prepared, processed packaged food on hand. As someone else mentioned, having carrot, celery and broccoli already cleaned and waiting in the fridge is what saves me from poor choices.
Thanks you so much for this timely article. I am at present doing a four week detox and do it buy any premade foods or junk food. But I have a HUSBAND. nuff said