Set Yourself Up for Healthy Eating Success with Proper Kitchen Prep

Consistent healthy eating takes determination and commitment. It's the best way to “maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases (like heart disease and cancer) and promote your overall health,” says the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Try these kitchen prep ideas to keep your healthy eating habits on track:

Follow These Tips to Make Healthy Eating Easier

Keep Herbs and Spices at Your Fingertips

Keep your spice collection nearby to add flavor to foods like chicken and vegetables, which tend to taste bland without seasoning. Experiment with a variety of spices, and even try combining them with citrus juice to add more flavor without using lots of salt.

Place Healthy Pantry Foods Front and Center

Sometimes, what we touch first is what we end up eating. Arrange your pantry so that all your healthy foods are up front. The next time you go shopping, think of the kinds of foods you want to have at your fingertips. This will help keep you from buying unhealthy foods.

Mount a Recipe Tablet

By mounting a tablet station in your kitchen, millions of healthy recipes can be right at your fingertips. Place your station under a cabinet and near an outlet so that the tablet can be charged and ready when you need it.

Make Fruit Prominent

It is common for people buy fruit thinking they’ll eat it, only to end up throwing most of it away. This is often because the fruit is stored somewhere where it isn’t prominent. Solve this problem by placing fruit in a bowl, on a platter or in a cake stand and putting it in a prominent place. This will make it one of the first things you see, so you’ll remember to eat it before it expires.

Take a Tip from Teachers

If you hang a chalkboard or dry-erase board somewhere in your kitchen, you’ll be more likely to jot down the healthy foods you need to purchase as you think of them. With these other tips percolating in your kitchen, you're sure to think of them more often.

These kitchen prep ideas will help you focus on healthy eating and make better choices when shopping. Here are some other tips and ideas for kitchen maintenance and design: