Now more than ever, we are focused on creating healthy meals for our family. As we’ve been spending more time in the kitchen you’ve probably noticed where your kitchen falls short in helping you do this easily.
Here are 5 suggestions for planning ways to support not only the creation of healthier meals, but a healthier place to create them.
- Plan for less clutter – Seeing clutter actually stimulates the production of cortisol – the stress hormone. Plan for ways to keep counters free of excess clutter by creating a place for everything. Small appliances like toasters and juicers can live in countertop garages that close up when not in use. Consider fewer wall cabinets and more below-counter storage.
- Light it up – Take advantage of as much natural light as you can. Maybe it’s time to consider adding some windows or moving a door to allow more natural light in. It is also important to choose the right artificial lighting, incorporating energy saving LED’s and especially those that have a warm-dim component to them. These allow you to change the color of the light throughout the day to assist our bodies adjust to their natural circadian rhythms.
- Biophilia (What?!) This means bringing more of the outside in. There are many ways to do that, some listed above but you can also consider bringing some plants into the kitchen – a garden windowsill for growing fresh herbs or even a “green wall”.
- Keep it Fresh – with more emphasis on fresh fruits, vegetables, and meatless meals, consider your refrigerator. Do you really need a lot of freezer storage, or are your needs for fresh food storage greater? There are so many options today that can assist you with keeping your fresh ingredients fresh and accessible.
- Materials Matter – Choose the right materials to keep your kitchen healthy. Select cabinetry that is made with low levels of formaldehyde (which occurs in nature so you can’t eliminate it entirely) and FSC certified (good for the environment). Wood countertops and man-made quartz countertops have anti-microbial properties and please, please, make sure your hood vents to the outdoors to keep the air in your kitchen fresh.
These are just a few ways that you can make a healthy difference when you remodel your kitchen. Please join me on Wednesday, May 27 at 2:30 pm for a Facebook Live chat with special guest Alisa Bloom of Live Your Best 365! We’ll be talking about food choices to quell inflammation and how the design of your kitchen can add to your health!
