A kitchen stocked with ice cream, potato chips and chocolate cakes can be challenging for a dieter. It’s a no brainer: to support a diet, eliminate the high calories temptations – right away!
However, there are other – more subtle ways – to make your kitchen more diet friendly.
Making Your Kitchen Diet Friendly
Get rid of the platter-sized dinner plates
We are a society of bigger is better. Not so for dieters when it comes to their dinner plates.
Large plates mean large servings. Decrease your dinner plate size (use a salad plate for the main course) and you’ll find it easier to decrease your waistline.
Avoid family-style bowls of food
Sure it’s nice to have a bountiful spread, but overloaded serving bowls of food can become overloaded eaters as they mindlessly pick at the extra food at the table.
If you serve from the stove, you control portions. Of course diners can always have seconds (from the stove),
Clear your freezer and pantry of bad foods
Do you really need those stale crackers or the old ice cream with the ice crystals? And what about those left over holiday chocolates that you thought you might use “some day” for a recipe? Get rid of them.
Clear out any bad foods that might call to you when you are in a binge mood. Then go grocery shopping and restock with foods that help a diet. If you have a family that expects chips and cookies on the shelf – move their food to one section of the cabinet and make the rest diet friendly.
Put fruit in plain sight
You’re heading to the kitchen and you’re hungry. Your choice is heat up your kid’s pizza rolls. Or- what’s this? A nice bowl of apples and grapes on the counter. The fruit is in front of you; you’re more likely to go for it.
Eat at the table
Never eat standing up. Even eating in front of the television can be debatable. By sitting down and focusing on your food, you avoid mindless eating. Not to mention you enjoy the food more!
Shut down the kitchen by 7:30 PM
This is a tough one for many dieters. By shutting down your kitchen (i.e., stopping eating) by 7:30 you avoid slipping into the “I’m bored, I’m hungry” binging mode.
Put the food away
Many families operate on the theory that if it’s on the counter, it’s up for grabs at any time. That half an apple pie, dinner rolls, the box of cookies should be put away. Remember: Out of sight and out of mind equals out of sight and not on your waist.