The Kitchen Makeover of Course!

I’m currently working on earning my Precision Nutrition Level 2 coaching certificate. A large part of the way we’re graded, is through practical case studies. This is a terrific way to ensure that we’re able to apply what we’re learning, to real-life situations. We recently received the challenge to be more creative in our delivery method for the case studies, so I’ve chosen to share my answer over my blog.

Why Does The Kitchen Makeover Matter?

Our current challenge as Nutritional Coaches in training, is to give either ourselves, or a client a kitchen makeover. I wanted to complete this task on myself first, so that I’m truly able to walk in my client’s footsteps. As a Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, I always test out every exercise routine or lifestyle task I ask my clients to complete. By doing this, I’m able to add more to our conversations, making them more real and applicable.

The kitchen makeover is a critical part to healthy eating because it’s where you should be preparing all of your meals. Working in a clean, well-organized kitchen with all of your tools and aids easily accessible is much more enjoyable. It will put you in a better mind space. When you store healthy foods and snacks in plain sight, you really will consume these foods more often.

Step 1: Figure out What to Toss

I created a trigger list and decided that I would be throwing out all of the red light items. The items I placed on my red light list included:

1. Junk foods, including chips, crackers, cookies and fig bars. These easily accessible and often tasty items are filled with bad fats and tons of calories. Not to mention, they don’t fill you up.
2. Any products with more than 10 grams of sugar per serving. This will include sauces, beverages, cereal and dried fruit. I try not to consume more than 40 grams of sugar in a whole day, so getting more than 10 grams in one ingredient is why too much sugar in my eyes!
3. Products with long ingredient lists containing a ton of items I can’t pronounce. If I can’t read the ingredient’s name, I feel it has to be chemical and processed and it should be avoided if possible.
4. Any opened items we have duplicates of. I’m hoping that by throwing out or merging duplicate items, I’ll make space in the kitchen for other tools and products that I’d like better access to.

I had to speak with my husband about what I was doing and why. Being a bit of a neat freak, he was on board with me cleaning things up and throwing away foods and sauces we have had for a long time. When I told him I would be throwing out newly purchased junk food as well, he wasn’t too happy. I had to negotiate that I would show him all of the foods I planned to throw out. We agreed to move the junk food he wanted to keep at home, into a high awkward cupboard that I can’t reach without pulling over a chair.

I also talked him into taking snack packs of pea chips and fig bars he eats at lunch, to his office. Removing these tempting items will remove the threat of me eating them.

Fresh vegetables and fruits, lean proteins, beans, nuts and seeds are always available in our kitchen. The only items I committed to adding were homemade kale chips and zucchini crisps. I bought extra quantities of these veggies this week and planned to bake them on Thursday. If I feel like a snack this weekend, I will munch on one of these treats versus eating my usual evening movie snack of processed crackers and cheese.

Step 2: The Cleaning Process

 Going through the kitchen cupboards and fridge was a therapeutic exercise for me. It was the perfect time to do it, as the exercise fit right into our fall cleaning regime. I don’t often remove everything at once from these areas. It was a great opportunity to clean the bottom of the shelves where spices and sauces had previously spilled. The kitchen felt fresher, cleaner and much more organized once the exercise was over. I don’t dread opening up my storage drawers anymore, I can find the items much easier now.

During this exercise, I didn’t feel any resistance or ambivalence myself. I actually made it my goal to throw out an entire kitchen garbage bag full of products so I was a bit ruthless with what I threw away. Any sauces and noodles I hadn’t used over the past month were pitched.

Completing a kitchen makeover is a great way to start your healthy eating regime.

Step 3: Living With The Aftermath

This kitchen makeover exercise was very satisfying. I can be a bit of a hoarder, so when I throw things out, I’m proud of myself. I’m still smiling days afterwards, when opening the fridge and drawers, at how clean and organized things now look.

Before the makeover, I had a ton of difference spices I haven’t ever used in small Tupperware containers. I dumped all flavours that aren’t of interest to me. I now have a ton of extra little containers. I’ll use them to pack my nut and seed afternoon snacks in while on the road.

By placing the junk food in a hard to reach location, I haven’t snacked on junk as much after work. It doesn’t seem worth the effort to drag a chair from the dining room over, just to eat a handful of crackers before dinner. One day I grabbed a banana that I placed in a fruit bowl on the counter, instead.

This exercise gave me more room in my kitchen. I now have half of a drawer dedicated to storing my food processor and mandolin. The mandolin used to be found underneath our sink on a hard-to-reach shelf, so I never used it. I’ve already used it once this week.

After this kitchen makeover, I’ve decided to complete a laundry room makeover. I love being able to now quickly find foods and access tools in my kitchen. By completing the same exercise in other rooms, my fall cleaning will be huge this year!

To Sum it Up…

The kitchen makeover is a very useful task that I will be completing regularly moving forward. When your kitchen is clean, organized and filled with easily accessible cooking aids you really will find cooking a more enjoyable experience. Remember to hide any junk foods that you have to have, in hard to reach places and keep all healthy snacks in plain sight.