Many sayings claim that food is the most direct way to the heart. In reality, while you can certainly put a smile on your children’s faces with a delicious meal, you need to consider the bigger picture. Don’t just think about how food affects your family, but evaluate the importance of the kitchen in your household. Indeed, the kitchen is by far one of the most important rooms in your house: It’s a place dedicated to nourishing the family and preparing them for the challenges of the day to come. It’s also an area of your home that is closely connected with your health, both physical and mental. Consequently, your role as a mom is to make sure that the kitchen is a haven of health for all.
Keep your kitchen fresh and healthy
A kitchen is a lot of work; delegate a little
You know it: Running your household can be stressful and exhausting. And while some people are born natural homemakers, most of us have to work hard to make it work and manage both family and household duties. But as a mom, you’ve got an advantage that nobody else has. You can share the kitchen maintenance with your family. Indeed, delegating tasks is also part of your kitchen responsibilities – trying to manage it by yourself all the time will only lead to high stress levels. So why not let your kids give you a hand? You might need to invest in little gadgets that can make your life easier. Using a peri bottle as a dish soap holder, for instance, can make it easier for small hands – or for a mom holding a baby – to gain full access and be able to do the dishes!
The unwanted visitor you don’t want to see
You might not know it, but the food you’ve got in your cupboard has an odor. While you can’t smell it when it’s still in its package, other creatures with a better-developed sense of smell know exactly what’s going on. You may not notice anything different until one day, you get the oats out of the cupboard and realize that the box has some holes. You might even get to see some tiny droppings hidden at the back of the cupboard. Yes, you know what this means: A mouse family lives in your home. How can you best get rid of those unwanted guests? You can afford to waste any time. At the first sign of droppings, it’s best to get in touch with a professional pest control company that can evaluate the occupation and the risks. You might also want to check all electric appliances in the kitchen: MIce love to chew cables!
What’s in your pantry?
The kitchen is the place where most common diseases are developed. From diabetes to obesity, what you eat affects your health. Consequently, as a parent, you need to make sure that your family is encouraged to follow a healthy diet. Ultimately, it starts with the pantry organization. Indeed, if you can make healthy food look appetizing, your children will be more likely to eat well-balanced meals than to grab a pack of chips. It’s always an exciting idea to keep your pasta and rice in cute glass jars – make it a habit of buying brown rice and alternative kinds of pasta to make sure your display is as healthy as pretty. You can also add a jar of oatmeal and one of nuts and seeds to make breakfasts more fun.
Beware of the Halloween pumpkins
It’s nearly time to carve the pumpkins! Most accidents that happen at home during the Halloween period are linked to carving injuries. Consequently, you need to take all the precautions you can to keep your family healthy during the pumpkin season. For a start, if you haven’t yet, you should keep the carving tools away from children – they should be kept in a box outside of the kitchen. Additionally, young children can be kept entertained by painting a small pumpkin while you can carve a proper-sized one carefully. This will avoid stress and injuries!
Mindless snacking is a no go
Ultimately, when the weather goes cold and gray – as it is the case during the winter months – it can be tempting to look for an indulging snack. Biscuits, cookies and chocolate bars are some of the favorite snacks when the temperatures drop. However, in an effort to encourage the family to stay healthy – and to help children to nourish their bodies with all the vitamins they need – you might want to keep the sweet snacks hidden in the cupboard and replace them with a bowl of fresh fruit. Using a fruit basket filled with healthy options that keep your fruit fresh and yummy is the best investment you can make for your kitchen health!
Your kids probably consume too much sugar
Do you know that American toddlers consume over 7 teaspoons of sugar per day, which is more than the recommended amount for adults? You may not think you are feeding your kids too much sugar, but it can be present as a hidden ingredient in a lot of processed and pre-packed food. As sugar can dramatically affect the development of infants and creates addiction in the future life, it’s essential to learn to differentiate healthy from unhealthy foods.
All natural cleaning
Your kitchen is a living area. Children who play in the kitchen or help to prepare the food can accidentally ingest toxic chemicals. While every parent knows to childproof the kitchen and store cleaning products away, you can take a step further and ditch the poisonous chemicals altogether. Indeed, you can keep the room clean with safe DIY alternatives. White vinegar is a base ingredient as it’s a natural disinfectant and is excellent at eliminating grease and grime. You can add a few drops of essential oil for smell and antiseptic properties!
Do you have a pet?
If you have a dog or a cat, you need to make sure that the kitchen is safe for them too. Indeed, pets are naturally curious. To avoid any accidents, you need a garbage can they can’t open – or push open with the nose or the paw. Additionally, you need to be very cautious about the food you leave around. A lot of your favorite ingredients are poisonous to dogs and cats. Most pet owners know that chocolate can cause vomiting, seizure and heart arrhythmias in pets, but not many realize that sharing a slice of fatty bacon could cause health issues to their furry friend.
Who wants mold in the kitchen?
You may not notice it at first, but when you begin to smell the distinctive musty odor, it means you’ve got a patch of mold in your kitchen. A water leak under the sink can encourage the apparition of mildew and mold. Similarly, if your kitchen fan isn’t effective, you may not be able to get rid of the excess dampness that occurs when cooking. It’s important to keep your eyes open for any risk factor in the fridge, around the sink, and with your cooking utensils.
Get the right color for the room
Last, but not least, your kitchen is designed to make you feel happy. It’s the room where you prepare the family meals. Consequently, you need to pick a color palette that boosts your mood. A dark kitchen can encourage you to opt for an indulging and unhealthy diet to compensate the mood factor. Instead, you should pick bright and vibrant color schemes such as yellow, green, orange and pink.
Your kitchen deserves several chapters in a health guide. It is, indeed, a challenging area that affects your body energy, your mental health and the health of your family – including pets. But everybody knows that a good day starts with a delicious breakfast in the kitchen. The challenge is to make every day fantastic!
Tammie~
This is soo good! Quite a few tips. My kitchen does need painting, and I have to think about what would be best – hmm maybe pure white for the cabinets. Having a kitchen that helps everyone make healthy choices is worth the effort.
When we moved into our home, I wanted to paint the kitchen a saffron color. The paint match came out more of a canary yellow!