3 Pro-Health Home Kitchen Reorganizations You Can Do in Ten Minutes

As a home improvement term, reorganization evokes images of time and money investment. The whole family struggles to locate items, and general chaos prevails everywhere. But how about trying kitchen reorganization ideas that are about food and help you and the rest of your household eat better?

For all of us who enjoy cooking and eating, it is unsettling when research studies point out the long-term effects of certain patterns and everyday choices. This is why it’s worth giving basic reorganization a shot if it means we’ll consciously, or even subliminally, improve our health.

We have three ideas that won’t take up much time.

1. Put Nutritious Choices at Eye Level

You know how we often grab chocolate bars and wafers from the pantry when we are hungry and have limited time? Those healthier “swaps” we had purchased over the weekend don’t get picked because they often don’t even get seen.

Many modern kitchens suffer from a visibility problem: the good stuff is tucked away, which reduces its probability of getting consumed. You may see this even in your fridge, with tubs of frozen Greek yoghurt lost behind ice-cream and cherry tomatoes suffocating under pumpkins.

• Bring out the fabulous-for-you snacks from the bottom shelf of the pantry and place them in storage baskets so that they are visible when standing. They should be smiling back at you when you head out to work or return home after a long day.
• Do the same for your refrigerator and secret snack collection in the bedroom.
• Stash the items you wish to avoid in hard-to-reach spots, such as the top of a cupboard. You will still know they exist, but will be less likely to use them as pick-me-ups frequently.

A similar philosophy applies in retail environments as well. UNICEF expresses concern over how brightly colored bottles of soda and loud proclamations of discounted chips are right at eye level in supermarkets. These unhealthy processed foods are what we see first when we enter, and the discount makes it seem like we are saving money. 

A simple kitchen reorganization can stop us from falling for these psychological tricks at home.

2. Unhide Those Spices & Flavors Jars

When a doctor advises you to make dietary changes for your health, the result is often frustration. For foodies, it can be plain old misery. 

For example, if you are diagnosed with high blood sugar, you may be asked to cut down on all your favorite snack foods and go-to beverages. To your mind come visions of day after day of bland meals on the table. 

Happily, it doesn’t need to be that way. Many chronic health conditions can still allow you to enjoy flavorful foods. What you need is a rethink of how you flavor. 

• Instead of keeping sugar and salt containers handy, bring out the containers/lazy Susans with cinnamon, turmeric, and dried herbs. 
• Display spices on your countertop in a tiered rack. Clear space by removing the takeout menus!
• Arrange spices and flavors from sweet to savory to save time and also get new ideas while cooking. So, cardamom and nutmeg could be at one end, while paprika could be at the other.

Take the example of diabetes-friendly foods for seniors, which include fatty fish and raspberries. Fish supplies Omega-3 fatty acids that lower inflammation, while berries provide fiber and protein. Imagine the delicious recipes you can create with these foods and ingredients from your in-focus spices and flavors shelves.

A poke bowl with veggies, flavored not with honey and soy sauce but edamame and pickled ginger. (Ginger may even help manage blood sugar, besides being perfect for when you don’t feel too good.) Or a lemony tray-bake with olive oil and mustard.

Raspberries, too, unfurl multiple delightful options for snacks and desserts. They go brilliantly with Greek yogurt and crunchy walnuts. Many parents have tricked children into these fruity cups after the umpteenth request for pudding. 

Displaying your assortment of healthy flavoring options will motivate you to experiment with them and potentially open up a whole new world.

3. Bring Out the Label Maker

In this age of social media influences and multiple information sources, making decisions can feel overwhelming. You might have started a low-carb diet, stocking up on alternatives to staples like rice or pasta. Until a certain someone drops by and labels this approach dated, recommending keto instead. 

The Conversation highlights the drawbacks of using social media for nutrition advice. Have you been doing it to cement your unique, highly personal relationship with food, or in a bid to belong to an aspirational group?

For example, an oatmeal with cinnamon breakfast may be nostalgic and comforting for you, but abhorrent for someone else. It may remind them of a huge fight with a sibling over dropped and broken bowls. 

Labels can also be a great way to own these connections, regardless of poorly evidenced influencer advice, and use them to make healthier choices. 

• Use fun labels to nudge you toward foods that are good for your soul. For example, a trail mix box can be “Guilt-free snacks for Netflix.” The unsweetened peanut-butter container can be “Good Old PB&J.”
• Encourage your family to participate in the label-making. It can inspire conversations about conscious eating, without taking the fun out of food.

Of course, you don’t actually need to have a label maker at home for this one, but it’s fantastic if you do. Feel free to use regular cardstock paper and markers of your choice. If stationery and artwork are your thing, you will probably find ten minutes stretching to an entire afternoon.

As the center of endless activity in your home, the kitchen demands love. Paying attention through healthy interventions can deliver significant, if gradual, improvements to your eating habits.

Plus, you’ll have proven that reorganization needn’t always be expensive or mundane. It can also be crunchy, savory, and inspiring!