There’s no need to hide it. It’s swimsuit season; we know you’re all on diets. And when you’re watching your weight, it’s only natural to avoid your kitchen. Instead of eschewing the gastronomic den of sin, try rethinking your situation altogether. These eight great kitchen hacks will make your home more diet-friendly. Suit up, slim down, and listen in!
- Take All the Food Out Of It
If you hang out in your kitchen but don’t want to overeat, remove all traces of food. Use your cabinets and oven for storing things like books and linens, and keep only liquids in your refrigerator. There’s no need to lose control over an entire room of your home just because you’re trying to shed unwanted pounds. Pro tip: Don’t actually remove all the food from your house, but do consider ridding your cupboards of unhealthy foods.
- Become a Hippie Kitchen Scientist
The Philips corporation won a Red Dot Design Award in 2011 for their “Microbial Home Probe” project, an extreme post-industrial kitchen that minimizes environmental impact — and your ability to eat anything fattening. The design features a cyclical ecosystem, which means that you’ll use last night’s dinner (read: your methane-filled sewage) to heat your stove today. The design also lacks a refrigerator, and focuses instead on the growth of “living food” in a terrarium called a larder. Worry not, domestic dieters; the larder isn’t as it sounds. It’s a growing ground for healthy, eco-friendly foods.
- Break Down and Hire a Private Chef
And if you can’t afford to hire a private chef, make your roommate or kids do it. Having an accountability partner can keep you on the diet track, and allowing someone else control of your meal choices is an oft-preferred option for overeaters. It’s not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign that you acknowledge the problem. But these things don’t come cheap. Be prepared to have to pay (or bribe a friend) for the help you need.
- Chunk the Junk
It’s called “junk food,” people — not “hunk food.” Constant temptation will wear you down. Restaurants, convenience stores, and office birthday parties already complicate matters, so don’t bring your junk home with you. Remind yourself constantly that, while tasty, the stuff is not real food. It comes off of conveyor belts and you can’t pronounce half of the ingredients. It’s not an easy break, but your kitchen and body will thank you. Replace your old favorites with healthy snack options, such as fresh fruit or granola.
- Give Gadgets a Go
If your friends call you Inspector Gadget, you’re either a technophile, a robot, or you need new friends. Assuming the former, tech out your kitchen for diet success. Batch containers for portioned cooking, food scales, and a juicer are just a few favorites of health nuts. Get rid of your waffle maker, deep fryer, and other gadgets that promote unhealthy living.
- Party Through It
The best way to win at dieting life? Party through it, of course. Clean the place up, turn on some lights already(!), and dust off your favorite party playlists. Throw yourself a shindig, and invite the most fitness-focused, annoyingly healthy people that you know. (And be kind to them; if you do this right, you will all be living the longest!) Let them know in the invitation that you’re “healthifying” (or “healthing up”) your kitchen and your life, and that you fancy their help. Make some healthy hors d’oeuvres and turn your night into a group project — clean, clean out, cook, and discuss how best to conduct your kitchen and your life going forward.
- Grow Your Own
Have a green thumb? Even if you don’t, you’ve got no excuse. You can even set a phone alarm to remind you to water your plants. Adding herbs to your recipes will spice up your kitchen, life, and diet dishes. And best of all, herbs are calorie-free. Investing time and space to growing healthy foods might also serve as a reminder to avoid “dead foods” (anything with “partially hydrogenated” ingredients) and stick to the living ones: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and herbs.
- Minimalism to Minimize (Your Waistline)
De-clutter your kitchen, and keep it extremely clean. Not only will you be more inclined to cook in a clutter-free place, but you’ll also be more likely to enjoy your healthy lifestyle. Place smart snacks where you can see them, as you’ll be more likely to eat what’s convenient and available. Try brightly colored fruits and vegetables to add some pop to your countertop. You don’t need much to meet the eye, just the tools that make your diet the most successful it can be!
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