Having the right tools in our kitchen will help us to make healthier nutrition choices and achieve our goals. Consider setting your kitchen up by green, yellow, and red light foods.
What do I mean by that? Green foods are a go to eat in large amounts. They contain lots of nutrients and contribute to an overall healthy lifestyle.
Yellow foods are foods you can enjoy in smaller quantities. They contain less nutritious value, but you can eat them and they will keep you satisfied.
Red foods contain the least amount of nutrients. These turn mostly into sugar when consumed. They don’t help you achieve your health goals and you may tend to over consume them.
These categories will be different for almost everyone, but it is important to note what they are for you specifically.
Physical Placement
Set your kitchen up by putting the green foods front and center. Place them in your line of sight in your refrigerator and pantry. Foods like fruits and vegetables; wash them, cut them up, and put them in clear containers in the front of your fridge so they are the first things you see when you open it. Keep complex carbs like oatmeal, sweet potatoes, beans and lentils, whole grain rice front and center in your pantry.
Put your yellow foods, like flavored yogurts, bacon, deli meat and fruit juices behind your green foods in the fridge. Keep them on higher shelves or in baskets in your pantry so you have to actively look for them when you open it and go in for a snack.
As for red foods, don’t buy them! These should be foods that you really can not control yourself around. It’s better to say no once in the grocery store than every time you open your pantry. Save your red foods for special occasions when you leave your house and can enjoy them in limited qualities.
Need helping determining your green, yellow, and red light foods? Sign up for a nutrition chat here!