6 Reasons Why A Cluttered Kitchen Leads To Overeating
6 Reasons Why A Cluttered Kitchen Leads To Overeating
According to an article in Environment and Behavior, cluttered kitchens lead to overeating. Scientists set up a tidy kitchen and a kitchen strewn with mail, newspapers, and dirty dishes. 100 women were brought one at a time into each kitchen and told to write about a time they felt out of control and a time they felt in control.
The Experiment
The participants were provided with cookies, crackers, and carrots in each kitchen and told to help themselves. Among the women who wrote about feeling out of control, those in the messy kitchen consumed twice as many calories from cookies as women in the tidy kitchen implying that a chaotic environment impacts our consumption of sweet foods. The science behind this may be that clutter causes the release of cortisol, a stress hormone. Cortisol is part of the “fight or flight” response in our bodies. When it’s elevated, you are vulnerable to cravings which can lead to excess food intake that contributes to weight gain.
Real Life
Countertops cluttered with paperwork and unfinished projects nag you about the work left to do and feed anxiety. Time and energy are required to start working. But decluttering reduces that anxiety and creates a relaxing cooking environment where you can jump to the fun part of cooking.
Clutter sets a discouraging mood that leads to a “what’s the use” feeling. This mood affects whether you even want to bother creating a meal plan for the week. A decluttered kitchen creates a “the sky’s the limit” vibe making you more likely to think through healthy meal planning.
Fruit bowls and decorative trays in a cluttered kitchen are often left empty or filled with clutter. In an uncluttered kitchen, they are more likely to be filled with healthy fruits or snacks that are better for you.
When the kitchen’s cluttered, the last thing you want is for people to join you there. Inviting others into your kitchen adds to the claustrophobic feeling and can be embarrassing. But clearing out the clutter makes welcoming others into the kitchen fun and gives you helping hands.
Knowing which spices you have on hand and being able to find them quickly is challenging in a cluttered kitchen. But an uncluttered kitchen lets you get your hands on the spices that make cooking fun and inspire healthy eating.
Cluttered countertops frequently lead to a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. It’s challenging to wash healthy fruit and vegetables and much easier to call for pizza again. Clutter-free countertops make it easy to keep up with washing dishes and have a sink ready for healthy food preparation.
Clear your kitchen clutter and start planning those healthy meals!
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