Organic and nutritious herbs, produce and even flowers can be grown in your Urban Cultivator 365 days a year. Photo courtesy of www.urbancultivator.net
"Fit and Fabulous"
We all want to be described that way, right? Well you probably already have the fabulous part down, but how are you doing on the fit part this year?
Well, if you're like me it's a bit more challenging after reaching 45 years old. Wait! Who am I kidding? It's A LOT more challenging!
With that in mind, I am continually reading and researching design products and lifestyle practices that can help me stay energized, eating healthy and supporting my fitness goals.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a fanatic. I enjoy a good Pinot Noir, cook with butta' and loooove dessert, but 80% of the time I am focused on being healthy all while making the world more beautiful...of course!
And one of the best ways to reach your personal and professional goals is to create environments that SUPPORT your success in achieving them. Yes, your home and office environments greatly affect your mindset and daily well being.
Everything from the interior colors, spatial layout, quantity of natural light, organization and quality of the fixtures and furnishings in your space have an impact on your happiness, productivity and physical comfort.
I am a true believer in the power of the built environment and passionate about helping you create beautiful interiors that empower you to be THE best version of YOU as possible.
So with that in mind, let's get started!
Following are 5 Secrets To Designing A Kitchen That Supports Weight Management and a healthy lifestyle. I'd love to hear about your favorite products or healthy lifestyle solutions in the comments below.
Secret One:
This is a cook's dream! Imagine always having fresh organic herbs and micro-greens within arms reach while prepping meals. No more "Honey, I forgot the cilantro" trips to the grocery store, backyard or farmer's market. And no more time spent at the sink washing and rinsing off pesticides and dirt.
Photo Courtesy of www.urbancultivator.com
The Urban Cultivator gives you the opportunity to grow flavorful herbs and select produce hydroponically in your kitchen in an under counter or island version on wheels.
I particularly like that the watering and light cycles, as well as humidity and air circulation systems are controlled by an intuitive computer interface so your harvest is always successful.
The under counter units have the same space profile as a built-in dishwasher, and water and electrical installation is simple. Both residential and commercial versions are available from this Vancouver-based company. A fun aside, "Martha" has one in her home and NYC office!
Secret Two:
Photo courtesy of www.grohe.com.
My honey loves this one - instant filtered, sparkling water on demand (he says it reminds him of beer on tap, but without the calories).
Ha! I fooled him, this baby is going in our new kitchen. The Grohe Blue Chilled and Sparkling Water faucet is a great way to offer your family on-demand sparkling water rather than sugary sodas or calorie-rich juices.
With a turn of the handle you can enjoy filtered still or "medium" sparkling water. In general, you can receive 1.5 - 2 liters of chilled, or chilled and carbonated water at one time. Then after five minutes, you can receive the same quantity. Filters should last 12 months and replacement Co2 cartridges are available through beverage distributors and suppliers nationally.
No need to buy bottles of sparkling water when you can have on-demand filtered sparkling water with the Grohe Blue Chilled and Sparkling Water faucet.
Secret Three:
Photo courtesy of www.miele.com.
This lux appliance is on my "Dream Kitchen" board for my next home - an in-wall steam oven. On my gosh, are they fabulous! They give new meaning to the term "fast food," as your meals are prepared quickly but in a much more nutritious manner as you don't use butters or oils and your food will retain more vitamins and minerals as opposed to boiling or baking items.
I had the pleasure of attending a Miele showroom demonstration in which they cooked salmon and asparagus simultaneously in the steam oven and the meal was SO delicious and moist. Another benefit was that there was no "flavor transfer" from the fish to vegetables because of the moving steam on the oven's interior and the texture of the food was very nice.
Other leading appliance companies such as Gaggenau, Thermador, Viking and Wolf also offer in-wall steam ovens with varying models also offering convection cooking in addition to the steam feature (this is called a combi-steam unit).
Now if you're not ready to make the full investment of an in-wall unit, or wall space is at a premium, but you want to start utilizing this healthy cooking method you may want to consider a counter top steam oven to get started.
Low-fat cooking is easy and delicious with Miele's full line of in-wall steam and combi-steam ovens.
Secret Four:
Photo taken by Seltzer Photography © 2015 Soul Interiors Design
A nice-size "Prep" zone in your kitchen is the secret sauce to staying healthy. When we assist clients with a kitchen remodel, we always try to plan for a separate dedicated sink and prep zone away from the main clean-up sink. This allows two or more people to comfortably use the kitchen simultaneously. One person can wash and prep vegetables, herbs and fruits for the meal or week ahead, while the other can use the main sink for rinsing and clean up thus making meal prep more efficient, comfortable...and harmonious (no more jockeying for use of the sink, right?). Ideally your prep zone counter top area should be at least 42" wide.
Our client had a busy household with three children, so we re-designed their inefficient kitchen to include a food prep zone for Mom and raised eating bar for the kids.
Secret Five:
A refrigerator with generous produce storage and a great food preservation system is essential because food stored at a consistent proper temperature stays fresh longer. No one wants to throw out unused produce. It is frustrating and costly. And having enough fruit and vegetable storage is key to always having healthy choices available for you and your family.
I love coming home to a nice selection of pre-washed and cut fruits and vegetables (admittedly some weeks I don't plan in advance and I fall into the ol' cheese and crackers before dinner routine. Ugh.)
In any case, selecting appliances carefully can help support your goal to living a healthy lifestyle. Both luxury appliance manufacturers Sub-Zero and Liebherr are known for technically advanced food preservation systems albeit an investment. While, KitchenAid offers refrigerators with the Preserva Food Care system for a more modest cost.
Secret Six:
I wanted to add an undercounter, dual-zone wine refrigerator...yeah, I know, that's pushing the "healthy envelope" a bit right?
Let me know some of YOUR top choices for designing a healthy kitchen and let's make this THE year you admiringly look at your selfies and say YES! I did it! Looking fab and feeling fine!
To see more of my curated product selections to create a healthy kitchen visit my Pinterest Board: http://www.pinterest.com/gailjamentz/
Please note: all manufacturers were contacted for photo permission and approval.
Gail E. Jamentz, Principal of Soul Interiors Design, proudly serves the communities of Pasadena, San Marino, La Cañada Flintridge, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, Altadena, Glendale, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Palm Desert, and Palm Springs.