When changing your habits and eating healthier, remember that you will grab what you see. This is why you hear the dieting tips about not leaving cookies and other treats on the counter because you will be more tempted to eat them. This is not about saying no to certain foods, but understanding what you are genuinely craving, and not just what appeals to you because you keep seeing it right in front of you.
Keep Your Fruit Bowl on the Counter
This is probably a tip you have heard before, but it bears repeating. If you have fruit in your house, keep it on the counter where you will see it! Many studies have been done, including at the Google corporate offices, where if you leave out healthy snacks on the counter, people are more likely to grab them.
This is all about cravings and convenience. Sometimes you have a passion for a cookie and will go searching until you find it. But when you are bored or in a hurry and want a quick snack, you are much more likely to grab something you see right in front of you.
Put Your “Treats” in a Drawer You Don’t Open Often
As for foods you consider treats, like cookies, chips, crackers, and baked goods, try to keep them in a cabinet or drawer. They don’t need to be hidden so far you can’t get to them, but just enough to where you don’t see them every time you walk past the kitchen or open the fridge.
The less you see them, the less inclined you will be to grab chips or a cookie or brownie every time you are in the kitchen filling up your water bottle.
Leave Your Healthiest Food in a Place You Go to Often
You probably know your habits the best when it comes to your kitchen and pantry. Think about the places you tend to go to first for a snack or meal, like opening the fridge or looking in your cabinets and placing the healthiest options upfront or at eye level.
Keep the healthier ingredients and meals at the front of your cabinets and your refrigerator. If you have treats in the fridge or freezer, keep them in a drawer or behind all your frozen produce and healthy meats.
Changing your habits is not easy, but it is possible. And, as with most things in life, it starts with understanding what you are truly craving and making healthy choices that are convenient for you. I hope these tips help you make the healthy changes you desire and improve your relationship with food.
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