7 Reasons to Fall in Love With Your Kitchen

As you probably know, we feel that all good things start in the kitchen.

However, we run across clients who view their kitchen as a place of trepidation and/or negativity.  This may be for 3 different reasons:

1).  Those caught in the diet mentality are either told (or tell themselves) to avoid the kitchen at all costs unless absolutely necessary. “It’s dangerous in there,” we hear our clients say. Words spill out such as tempting, trigger, weight, calories, willpower, sweet tooth, insatiable cravings. The kitchen has become a place to fear – the place where “bad” foods lurk and bingeing happens.

2).  Another reason is lack of confidence.  Our generation grew up with convenience foods, not learning how to cook as much as past generations.  The kitchen can be overwhelming to people who may watch savvy chefs on television whipping up fancy meals or the neighbor next door who somehow manages to create well balanced home cooked meals every night.

3). Does the word CHORE ring a bell? For many, cooking is just one extra ‘thing’ on their plate that they don’t want to deal with. This is the person who may know how to cook, but simply views the act of prepping and cooking as inconvenient; something that gets in the way of all the other things they have to get done on a daily basis.

Determined to put a new framework around the whole concept, we came up with the following: What would life be like if you could view your kitchen from a completely different lens?

With that in mind, here’s what we want you to do. From today forward, use our KITCHEN acronym to help you find your way back to feeling positive about one of our favorite rooms in the house. Let it become yours too.

Kindred: your kitchen is a kindred spirit. This is a sacred room! A room to heal, nourish, create, celebrate, enjoy.

Invite: Now is the time to invite new “friends” into your kitchen. How about some coconut oil, tahini, almond butter, hemp seeds, or creamy ghee? As you let go of some of the foods that may not serve you well, it’s vitally important to bring new and exciting foods into your kitchen that are not only nutritious, but delicious and satisfying too. Once your pantry and fridge are stocked with healthy fare, it’s so much easier to put quality meals and snacks together that serve your body well.

Transform: It’s right in your own kitchen that amazing transformations can take place – not only with your weight and your energy levels, but an entire health transformation. Here is a space, without any medical equipment or drugs, where you can actually turn disease into wellness just through foods and spices. Let your kitchen knives replace surgical knives!

Create: What better space to let your creativity shine than your kitchen. Think of spices, herbs, and produce as your color palate, and play around with ingredients to make your own masterpiece. There is nothing more rewarding than cooking up a healthy meal you created from scratch that looks, tastes and smells delicious. And please remember, you don’t have to be a fancy chef to put together a tasty, healthy, easy homemade meal. If you are overwhelmed with the idea of cooking, start SLOWLY. Choose a couple of healthy recipes and make a commitment to cook something new just one meal a week. Or bring your lunch to work instead of eating out just one day out of five. Small changes CAN achieve big results if you stick with them and make them realistic.

Heal: As Hippocrates said “Let food by thy medicine, and medicine by thy food.” Guess what? Your kitchen is your new medicine cabinet. Think oregano, turmeric, greens, olive oil, walnuts, flax seeds, and lemons.

Embrace: Embrace your kitchen, don’t fear it. This can become your safe place – the place where you are creating nourishing and delicious foods, a place of warmth and love and nurturing. Buy some fresh flowers or plants to have on your table or counter. Get pretty placemats. Break out your nice dishes and flatware and use them for everyday eating. Have a space for music nearby so you can play your favorite happy tunes while you cook.

Nourish: The right foods nourish your body on a deep cellular level. Cooking a homemade meal in your kitchen is the best way to feed your soul and your body.

Does this resonate with you? Share your thoughts and let us know.

 

 

stephanie goodman and jane schwartz

THE NOURISHING GURUS

Jane and Stephanie, creators of The Simply Nourished Solution™, are nutritionists who help women over 50 go from overweight, frustrated, and inflamed to lighter and healthier so they can be more active, feel good in their bodies, and live the second half of life with energy and confidence. Their 3-pronged approach, which can fit into any lifestyle, encompasses not only wholesome energizing foods but powerful habit and mindset shifts.

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