It makes sense that if you organise your kitchen it’s going to be easier to cook and eat well. However if you have ADHD it can be hard to know where to start. Check out these tips and empower yourself to eat well with ADHD.
Organising your kitchen may take a bit of time
This is a job for a full morning or afternoon so wait until you’ve got time to do it well.
If you can get some help from a friend it might even be fun. It will also help you stay on task.
Clear out the junk
Go through your cupboards and get rid of anything that has gone out of date. Notice what went out of date and think about why you had more than you needed. Think about what might need to change to stop this happening again. Here are some possibilities:
- Did you buy something you virtually never use? Perhaps next time you could see if a friend already has some and offer to do the same for them.
- Are your cupboards so cluttered that you cannot easily see what you’ve already got. I know it sounds a bit over the top but it can really help to organise your herbs and spices in alphabetical order. It doesn’t have to be exact. Just putting all the things beginning with A first then B etc. You could even just get yourself some baskets and put A-C in basket one D-F in basket 2, and so on. Some baskets will get full quickly so just do whatever works for the things you tend to use.
- Do you tend to eat something obsessionally for a season and then stop altogether? Next time you notice yourself doing this put a big reminder on your notice board to take the item off your shopping list and offer any excess to a friend before it goes out of date. Or, if it’s unopened and non-perishable, give it to your local foodbank.
Use the opportunity to make it easier to make positive food choices
Now that you’ve reminded yourself how to eat well (see my previous post in this series here), give away stockpiles of less positive choices or move some to a less accessible place.
There is no need to purge your kitchen of fun foods. Sometimes it’s great to eat simply for joy and not because the food is healthy. However if you’ve stockpiled biscuits or sweets you might be tempted to eat way more than you would really like.
Make sure things are in the most convenient place
Think about how you prepare and cook food and try to place what you need in the most convenient place. Pots, pans and cooking utensils near your hob. Microwavable dishes near your microwave. Roasting tins and baking trays near the oven. Plates, dishes and cutlery near the dishwasher or sink. Spices under your work surface. Tea and coffee near your kettle. You get the idea. There’s more great advice here from Good Housekeeping.
So there you have it. Four simple ideas to help you get your kitchen organised so you can eat well and cook with less stress.
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