By William Conboy
Every New Year, there are certain resolutions that are most popular, one being to lose some of that pesky extra weight that may have been picked up during the holiday season. Unfortunately, the new habits often don’t get off the ground and crash diets fail to bring lasting results. What can save our healthy eating goals and make them attainable?
Overhauling how your refrigerator looks and what it is stocked with might just help turn the ideal into reality, said Eleana Kaidanian, certified dietitian and nutritionist since 2012 who runs the private practice Long Island Nutritionist. Here are five steps to take.
Out with the Old
First, “get rid of all the garbage and the expired food,” said Cynthia Braun, a veteran professional organizer of 22 years. That means starting with what you don’t need, like all the suspicious leftovers and the mayonnaise you opened two summers ago to start on a clean plate.
Restock with Health in Mind
Kaidanian said if health is the goal it’s important to be conscious of exactly what goes back in the fridge after everything has been cleared out. Today, there are so many diet fads that it’s enough to make an honest health inquirer’s head spin. However, according to Kaidanian, a good route to consider is keeping things simple with whole foods, those being
foods in their most natural state. These could include nuts and seeds or unprepared proteins such as meat and fish, she said. Reducing the amount of processed pre-made foods is beneficial no matter what diet goal someone is looking for.
Kaidainian said that more granular dietary decisions would come down to “the health goals of the individual.” She emphasized that these can be different for everyone, but when it comes to weight loss she said achieving it can be done in ways other than simply calorie counting.
Ariana Paduano, a junior psychology student and dormer at Adelphi, said that while she doesn’t use her dorm minifridge often, stocking it with healthier snacks like fruits and yogurt is something she’d like to do. The foods we choose and whether they are in their natural state or not can have a significant effect on health and wellness, so aim for all natural as much as possible.
The foods that Kaidanian recommended include proteins like fish and dairy, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, along with nuts and seeds. No secret diet formula here.
Reorganize to Build Habits
How should all of this be put in the fridge so that it is both organized and supportive of a person’s health goals? Braun said to use the space effectively, especially the drawers present in most large fridges, consider using one for vegetables, one for fruit, and the last one for non-frozen meats. She added that the doors are for condiments and drinks. While she views organization as both a pursuit of being well ordered and aesthetics, in the fridge efficiency is the goal.
Braun said making an area for leftovers would be useful and that when going grocery shopping it’s important to buy strictly what is needed and not to go into excess. This pairs nicely with Kaidanian’s emphasis on sticking to the all-natural essentials for health. In fact, adding to the organizing conversation, she said, “whatever is at eye-level is what you want to focus on.”
Paduano agreed that “whatever is in the fridge in front of me I usually grab.” Making sure that healthy snacks and foods are easy to see and grab will make people more likely to consume those over junk food, Kaidanian said.
Meal Prep
Figuring out what to buy each week to minimize waste and clutter depends on meal prepping, said Kaidanian, meaning simply to plan out meals in advance. For some, this looks like having Tupperware for every day of the week in the fridge with all the meals made at the beginning of the week. For others, it may be as simple as having the ingredients to make several meals on hand and simply planning out what you will make for each day. She said that it’s important to have prepped meals at eye-level so they don’t get forgotten and end up as waste.
Kaidanian considers meal prep essential to success but emphasized that “as a college student, it’s very different from something like a family of six.” Meal prep for a college student can be as simple as going down to the campus cafeteria and buying some meals in advance, she said.
“Meal prepping chicken or some type of protein would be good for me,” Paduano said.
Maintain the Change
To maintain these new organizational habits, Braun often recommends “every other week, go through your refrigerator and throw out what’s not good anymore and clean it up.” Marking a reminder on your calendar can go a long way to making the habit more long term. Habits in general are hard to form. A 2009 study, “How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world,” stated that it can take up to 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.
On the dietary front Kaidanian said “making small short-term goals and having a midway goal and long-term goal can really help guide you.” Rather than having one lofty weight-loss goal, starting off with a smaller one and building up to a larger one could help to maintain consistency.
“Working with a dietitian can help you come up with specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-oriented goals,” she said. Seeing short-term results along the way can help to keep the motivation going in the weeks and months after New Years.
Kommentare