Your kitchen is more than a place to prepare food; it’s a creative space at the centre of family wellness. If you want to take care of your family’s wellbeing by cooking and eating well, the first thing you need to do is sort out your kitchen wellness. According to natural personal chef and holistic nutritionist Marni Wasserman, ‘The kitchen should really be the centre point of your home.’ So, how do you give your kitchen a healthy makeover?
1. Let your light shine: In many homes, spacious, well-lit kitchens are where everyone congregates and connects, so make sure you let in as much natural light as possible, even if that just means opening the blinds. Wasserman details, ‘Connecting with nature will inspire your food choices. We installed a skylight, which brightens my kitchen when it’s sunny and provides a cosy, comfortable feeling when it’s raining.’
2. Go au naturel: Natural, earthy tones like greens, browns and yellows make for good bases colours when you’re repainting your kitchen. Wasserman notes, ‘I always say, the more natural the better, but it’s really about finding a colour palette that makes you feel good.’ If natural is a bit too neutral for you, spice up your room with bright artwork or a funky-patterned glass backsplash. Another good way to add some colour and freshness to the room is to create a beautiful and simple centrepiece of a glass bowl filled with fresh and exciting fruits. Don’t just go for the staple apples and oranges but branch out and keep replenishing the bowl with whatever colourful fruits are in season. Not only will this liven up the kitchen, but it will give you lots of exciting options when you’re cooking or in the mood for a snack.
3. Always go for glass: If you want to keep your counters organised and your ingredients fresh, but still have a gorgeous kitchen, glass bottles, vases and mason jars are just the thing you need. Wasserman suggests, ‘Fill an oversize vase with lemons to give your room some colour.’ Another good idea is to store nuts, grains, seeds and beans in glass jars and display them on your countertop in an organised fashion, as this will make them more tempting to eat. However, while you should have these things on display, it’s important to keep them out of direct light.
4. Plant an indoor garden: Bringing a little bit of the outdoors to the indoors is always invigorating in any room, but why stop at fresh flowers (which will soon be not-so fresh) when you can instead plant a small indoor herb garden? Fresh herbs will infuse your kitchen with natural aromas and ‘potted basil and oregano will liven up your windowsills and add flavour to your favourite recipes,’ says Wasserman.
5. Update your appliances and cooking utensils: Inspire your inner chef with some shiny new toys to play with. Wasserman recommends, ‘When choosing a stove, a gas burner is ideal. It looks great and the quality of cooking is much better.’ However, you don’t have to install a new oven if yours is working perfectly well (why would you?) Instead, try updating your cooking tools to match the vibe of the room. If you have earthy tones in your kitchen, displaying bamboo utensils in a matching basket works really well. If, on the other hand, black and silver is more your style, mount a brushed stainless-steel utensil rack near your stove. Wasserman adds, ‘Titanium pots and pans are the nicest looking and best quality for cooking.’
