I’ve struggled in the past with starting & keeping new healthy food habits, and you’ve probably struggled, too. Eating healthy is not always easy because there are so many naughty temptations. But here is a tip that has worked really well for me.
Just yesterday, I left a tray of brocolli and a bowl of apples on my kitchen countertop (see image below). I knew it would help me eat more healthy throughout the day, but I was just so surprised at how often I ended up snacking on the apples & broccoli.
The brocolli that you see on the picture above is on an oven tray because I baked it later that evening with a bit of olive oil, salt, and a touch of shredded gruyere cheese.
Here is 1 tip that I highly recommend because it is both so easy and so effective. That’s a rare combination, yall!
The Tip: Add Several Healthy (and Yummy) Food Options on Your Kitchen Countertop
Here is why it works so well: making healthy food choices more VISIBLE and ACCESSIBLE in your kitchen will go a long way in helping you eat more healthy.
Why Does This Tip Work So Well??
You might be surprised to learn that we often make choices in our daily lives simply based on their accessibility. For example, if you buy a box of cookies and leave it on the countertop, you are pretty much guaranteed to snack on them pretty quickly, right? It also works the other way around: if you leave healthy food options on your countertop, you are more likely to use them for your lunch/diner or for snacks.
This tip is also backed by Scientific Research: Anne Thorndike from Massachusetts General Hospital (Source) designed an experiment where a cafeteria started offering water bottles in a few more places (for example adding water bottles next to sodas). Within a few months, the results were very good: Water sales increased 25 percent (Soda sales also went down more than 10 percent).
This experiment showed that we sometimes make unhealthy choices not because we necessarily crave a given food or drink but because it is readily available (Also see this study). In other words, you are more likely to make unhealthy food choices if they are simply presented to you more often. The great news is that it works the other way around:
If you make unhealthy foods less accessible and instead fill your home with whole and nutritious foods, you are a lot more likely to start eating those!
Here is a Challenge for You (If You Are Ready)
It’s simple. Try this for a few days: keep at least 2 new healthy food options on your kitchen countertop (For example, a bowl of fruit or veggies). And go ahead, snack on them as much and as often as you want!
Making healthy choices more plentiful and obvious in your home is one of my 6 Tips to Build Healthy Habits for Life.
You can also read my page on building Healthy Habits for a Happier Life.
