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Organizing your kitchen for healthy living

Here's a great project to kickstart changes to healthier eating.

(Provided by Weight Watchers) --  A kitchen in chaos can deter weight-loss efforts.  An unhealthy kitchen just doesn't support a healthy lifestyle, but simple changes can lead to the path of success.  If the kitchen needs a makeover, reorganize it with tried and true Weight Watchers® suggestions:

Rethink Placement.  Don't hide fruit in the produce drawer.  Store it in bowls on the counter and see-through containers with covers in the fridge.  Cut up large fruit (such as melons) into chunks so that they're ready to eat.  Put low-fat and nonfat dairy products such as yogurt and cheese where they can be easily seen.  Store unhealthy items (like that box of cookies you've been saving for company), toward the back of the pantry.
Keep It Handy.  Keeping healthy ingredients on hand is only half the battle-actually eating them is what's important. Set aside some time each week to cook in bulk - like during a television show - and then store portions in individual containers for convenience.  Just reheat and enjoy.  Frozen grapes and mandarin orange slices are a much healthier way to satisfy your sweet tooth than cookies.  And grabbing the mini version of your favorite candy bar is a great way to indulge your love of chocolate without falling off track.  Buy good-for-you alternatives along with single-serving package sizes of favorites whenever possible.
Choose the Right Cookware.  What you see is often what you get.  So store that deep fryer out of view and put those worn, begging-for-tons-of-oil skillets out of their misery.  With smarter placement of certain kitchenware and a well-stocked arsenal of others, it is easy to become a master chef.  Most low-fat cooks know that a great set of nonstick pots and pans are key for preparing healthy cuisine.  Also invest in such healthy helpers as an indoor grill, a steamer and a salad spinner.  "Surrounding yourself with the right tools allows you to make healthy eating choices no matter how busy your schedule," says Susan Jenkins of Weight Watchers.
Display Your Success.  A photo log of weight-loss success can help motivate to reach for a juicy plum instead of that chocolate chip cookie.  Take a picture in the same outfit every two weeks to highlight the weight lost and tape it to the fridge.  It will be proof that a kitchen makeover doesn't just make the kitchen look amazing.

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