From the food you stock in the freezer to the silverware you put on the table, your kitchen is your partner in health. When you fill your kitchen with the right tools and foods, you reap the benefits. If your kitchen isn’t your ally, changing it may be easier than you think. Here’s how.
Size matters when it comes to tableware. Plate sizes have increased over the years, and it makes it harder to judge how much you’ve eaten. Even the shape of drinking glasses makes a difference. A tall thin glass can make you feel like you’re getting more than a short wide one.
Rethink your cookware. If you cook with fat so your food doesn’t stick, trade up to nonstick cookware. Match the capacity of your cookware to your family size. If you use a large pot for a twosome, you may be tempted to cook, and eat, more food.
Take a look in your cupboard. Government dietary guidelines call for eating 2 cups of fruit and 2-1/2 cups of vegetables a day. Along with dark green and orange vegetables, add beans to your menus. Read labels on cans to avoid high sodium and sugar levels.
Tame snack attacks. You may not be willing to get rid of cookies, but you can keep healthier varieties on hand. Choose instead gingersnaps, graham crackers, or vanilla wafers. Avoid crackers, cookies, and chips made with saturated or hydrogenated fats.
Make your fridge your friend. Stock your refrigerator with low-fat dairy foods and keep high-sodium processed meat to a minimum. You don’t have to give up frozen dinners as long as you select varieties low in sodium and fat. Read the label to check portion size and nutrient content.
For more information from Texas Regional Medical Center, visit our website at TexasRegionalMedicalCenter.com.
Texas Regional Medical Center is partly owned by physicians.