A recent study published in the Environment & Behavior Journal suggested that the more cluttered our environments, the more likely we are to overeat. With an organized kitchen, you might be less likely to go on a 20-cookie bender when you’re scrounging for a nighttime snack. “Having a clean kitchen or home makes you feel more in control and primes you to stay in control,” says Dr. Brian Wansink, Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab and coauthor of the study. “It’s easier to simply clean your kitchen than to fight it by trying to talk yourself out of unhealthy decisions.”
More Grime Than Time can meet you halfway! After straightening and organizing your kitchen we’ll get it sparkling clean for you. Plus eating meals in a pleasing environment is a huge stress reliever, and can help you lose weight.
Lauren Slayton, MS, RD, founder of Foodtrainers in NYC, agrees. “Having a tidy kitchen is stress-reducing, and having lower levels of stress hormones directly translates to more weight loss and less stress eating,” she says. “Plus, who wants to cook in a mess of a kitchen?”
“I turn on music and light my favorite candle whenever I enter the kitchen,” says Slayton. It sets the mood for more enjoyable meals. “Remove the eyesores and obstacles and include the scents, sounds and ingredients that make you happy. If standing at the counter, eating out of the package is at one end of the spectrum — and that isn’t the positive side — sitting at the table, using utensils and a placemat is different. I would predict very few binge episodes happen in placemat situations.”
In which of the kitchens below would you prefer to eat your meals?
