Why your kitchen is crucial for weight loss

Make sure that there's plenty of fruit and veg on hand for when the hunger pangs strike. Photo / Getty Images

When it comes to diets, weight loss and nutrition, the information available remains very food focused - eat this not that; swap this for that and these foods are bad and these foods are even worse.

Far less attention is given to the way we eat and the food environments in which we live. Specifically, we rarely talk about the way our own kitchens can be conducive to losing weight, or even weight gain.

So here are the easiest ways to reorganise your kitchen in a way that will support both healthy eating and weight control.

1: Out of sight, out of mind

Human beings will eat what is readily available to them. This means that if you open the fridge or the cupboard and see some leftover chocolates from Christmas or a packet of cheese, you are much more likely to eat it, hungry or not.

For this reason, keeping food, especially tempting foods out of sight is a key step to not only avoid eating foods you do not want to be eating, but to help avoid mindless munching. This means packing away food packets so you actually have to go searching to find them; repackaging tempting foods such as biscuits and snack food so you cannot see the packets and making sure the first foods you see when you open the fridge or pantry are not unhealthy options that you can grab and munch on quickly.

2: Make healthy options easier

If you keep fresh fruits, vegetables and water as the easy go to options in your home you will eat more fruits and vegetables and drink more water. It is that simple.

This means keeping a bowl of fresh fruit within easy reach at home; keeping a supply of chopped vegetables on the first shelf of the fridge so you see it as soon as you option the fridge door and keeping chilled still or sparkling water within easy reach.

Even better, consider installing a filtered water tap at home so you always have access to cold still or sparkling filtered water.

3: What are you eating on?

The plates, cups and spoons we choose directly influence how much we eat every single day. For example, you will eat more on a larger plate and drink more from a tall glass than you do a short, wider glass.

Colour matters too - you will eat more when your plate matches your food colour, as opposed to a contrasting colour. For example, you will eat more tomato pasta from a red plate than you would a white one.

So where possible revert to smaller bowls and plates; look for white options and clear out the jumbo sizes drinking glasses, coffee cups and wine goblets in favour of smaller day to day crockery and cutlery.

4: Reorganise your fridge

A healthy fridge indicates a healthy diet but if your fridge looks like many with old vegetables in a crisper that is rarely opened and old jars and containers of stuff at the back it is time to get organised.

Throw away old leftovers; give the fridge a good clean out and stock up with a variety of different sized clear plastic containers to stock full of fresh foods and to keep on hand to package healthy leftovers.

Keep different shelves for each food group, such as meat and fish on the bottom shelves, dairy in the door and fresh fruits, salads, grains and vegetables on the main shelves within easy reach. A clean, healthy looking fridge will encourage you to eat fresher, better quality food every single day.

5: Have the right appliances

If your kitchen counter is cluttered, it is time to get organised. Keep appliances that will help you eat better within easy reach, and invest in good quality options that will wear well.

You may keep your blender on display so you can whip up a smoothie or soup quickly; it may be a steamer to prepare your fresh vegetables each night; a good quality tea brewer or a set of sharp knives or spiralizer so you can prepare vegetables quickly.

Once again, regularly seeing the items you need to prepare healthy foods will help to keep you focused and motivated.