"If you keep good food in your fridge, you will eat good food"
Set yourself up for success by filling your kitchen with healthy food choices that are front and center. This does not mean you can't have other favorite treats and foods like chips, chocolate or ice cream (or whatever your favorites are) in your home, but let those foods be "20%" of the options and as hidden from your sight and selection as possible!
Here are some of my ideas for Healthy Kitchen practices:
Keep whole fresh fruit cleaned and in a bowl at the ready out on the counter
Have washed grapes and berries at the front of your fridge
Keep the following options in your refrigerator as snacks:
Hummus, Carrots, Edamame, Cut up Watermelon, washed Grapes, Greek Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Almond Butter, Avocado and/or Guacamole, Shrimp Cocktail, Hard Boiled Eggs, Apples, Pears, Seasonal Fruits, Soups and even cooked Oatmeal you can warm up
Create a healthy snack drawer that's filled with lower fat, sugar and calorie options
Roasted Chickpeas
Dried Broccoli Florets or Kale Chips
100-Calorie Popcorn packs
Almond Butter Cracker Sandwiches: Get your favorite whole grain crackers and a fresh jar of Almond butter (I like the crunchy version!) and create in advance and then bag them up.
Make your own Energy Bars
Homemade Trail Mix: Combine your choice of seeds, nuts, and dried fruit and add smaller amounts of dark chocolate, coconut, grains, and spices until you create the perfect blend. Most trail mix blends deliver around 140 calories per 1/4 cup (30 grams). Get Snack-size zip lock bags and set up portion control bags.
Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives (HKHL) is annual conference that bridges nutrition science, health care, and the culinary arts. A collaboration between the Harvard Chan School’s Department of Nutrition and The Culinary Institute of America, the conference was created to teach medical professionals about nutrition and self-care, so that they will be better prepared to teach patients valuable skills for leading healthier lives. Here are recommendations from this conference:
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