Eating healthy is something that many Americans want to start doing, but often find it hard to know where to start. Did you know that updating your kitchen can actually help? If you’re looking to start eating healthier, here is how a kitchen remodel can give you a kickstart.
1. Envision the Changes You Want to Make
According to Houzz, over one-third of homeowners who remodeled their kitchens say that the change helped them begin a healthier lifestyle. Before getting started with your updates it’s important to consider what changes you’d like to make. For instance, what types of meals are you looking to be cooking and how much storage do you need? If you want to focus on a stock of fresh foods, you’ll probably want a larger refrigerator with less exterior storage for things like cookies, sugary cereals, and other unhealthy snacks. It’s also worth considering if you want to add space for dining or gathering. As an example, a breakfast nook can be a good way to help create healthy breakfast rituals. Consider what you want to be able to do in your new kitchen and plan accordingly from there.
2. Add an Herb Garden
Fresh herbs don’t last for long even in the fridge and it can be difficult to keep having to buy them. Fortunately, by adding space for a herb garden you can keep fresh herbs on hand all year round. This can also be a great way to add a spot of color and life to your kitchen. If you have enough space near a window, this is the perfect addition to consider.
3. Make Changes with ROI in Mind
Return on investment is something that homeowners should also think about. While you may not be moving now, you should still consider how any changes will affect your home’s value. On average, most minor kitchen remodels can have up to an 82.7% ROI, which benefits you both now and later. Consider adding energy-saving appliances and taking advantage of modern style trends to garner the greatest returns.
4. Install Fun Gadgets
To help encourage healthier eating, cooking needs to be fun. Consider installing gadgets like a quality blender or juicer for healthy smoothies and drinks or spiralizer for making some veggie noodles. Adding things like this can give you easy and fun ways to start making healthier meal choices without too much effort on your part! This can also give you more incentive to cook your own meals instead of hitting a fast-food joint after work.
5. Consider Your Current Lifestyle
It’s also important to consider your current lifestyle and the changes you want to make. For instance, you may want to cut down on the amount of garbage you produce. The average person generates over four pounds of trash every day. You can try to make this change by creating a compost station in your kitchen. Or, you may struggle to cook dinner after work every day. For this, you can consider looking into meal prepping on weekends to help ensure you have healthy and easy go-to meals when you need them. While prepping may require extra fridge or freezer space, it’s well worth it to be able to have healthy meals on-demand. Weekend cooking also gives you the ability to make use of all the fun gadgets you’ve installed.
Trying to eat healthy in a kitchen that you don’t enjoy is hard. If you don’t want to spend time in your kitchen, then you’re going to have a harder time creating healthy recipes. Thankfully, by updating your current kitchen you can help create a cohesive space that you’ll actually want to spend time in. Consider these tips and speak with a contractor near you to get additional ideas on how to make your dream kitchen a reality and take control of your health today.
