Stuart Zullo 
When it comes to healthy living, most people think they have to actively start doing more (like exercise or drinking more water), or deliberately cutting things out of their lifestyle (like chocolate and alcohol). While this may be true, there’s something you can do to simplify the task. A simple kitchen makeover can set you up for a healthier lifestyle – and there are no paintbrushes or flat packs required! On Tuesday we shared tips for saving energy in the kitchen. Well today our Professionals Paradise Realty team wants to share our easy tips for having the kitchen and lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of.
- Start with de-cluttering and a general tidy up. If your kitchen is full of bills, kids’ toys, rubbish and dirty dishes, the chances are you’re not going to want to spend time cooking in it. People tend to be far more tempted to eat take-away or microwave meals if it means avoiding the dreaded pre-meal clean up. Starting with a tidy space and putting dishes in the dishwasher as you go will ensure there’s always a space for you to prepare meals easily, and will hopefully entice you back to the chopping board.
- Gone are the days of placing a toaster, kettle and microwave in the kitchen, and being done with it. These days we see kitchen benches all over Liverpool playing host to a whole range of appliances, from popcorn makers to pancake makers, and slurpie machines to ice-cream machines. Notice not one of these machines encourages the consumption of a single fruit or vegetable. If you are lucky enough to own these luxury gadgets, pop them out of the way for use at special occasions and consider replacing them with a juicer or food processor that can be used to make healthy juices.
- While we recommend keeping bench spaces free for food preparation, something that will encourage better eating is the presence of a fruit bowl. It’s not only kids who choose to snack on junk food, we do it too. Often we’re “too busy” to prepare ourselves a proper meal, so instead we’ll much on a bag of chips or a couple of biscuits from the jar. Keeping a bowl of fresh fruit within easy reach of all family members will help to remind and encourage everyone to grab a piece before running off to their next activity.
- What’s out of sight will stay out of mind. Just as the conspicuously placed bowl of fruit can help encourage healthier eating, hiding all junk foods out of sight will help to eliminate these as temptations. Opaque jars kept high up in cupboards are a good way to keep a few treats around the house without them becoming your daily go-to snack item.
So there you have it. Your kitchen is tidy with a large enough workspace to prepare all your favourite healthy meals, gadgets that encourage high-sugar snacks have been replaced with juicers, fruit is in sight and within reach, and junk food is kept out of sight to remain out of mind.
If you’ve fallen into the trap of an unhealthy kitchen and lifestyle, try these tips and let us know how they work for you. Or, if you have more tips for taking back control of your kitchen, and your lifestyle, please share them here.