Did you know that the way we store food in our refrigerators can play a role in how healthy we eat?

Once we figure out what we should be eating and when, then comes the hard part of changing our diet: following through. I have a few out-of-the-box healthy eating tips to help you find success when getting started AND to keep yourself going with your New Year’s Resolution to eat healthier!

Tip #1 – Ready to go snacks

Prep appetizing snacks for yourself to grab and go. Try putting Plain Greek yogurt in a container, then put some nuts or fruit in a sandwich bag and tape it to the cover. This works with hummus cups too! Plan ahead and take some time to cut veggies, put them in a baggy and tape them to the cups. If you don’t like cutting up vegetables buy the ones that are pre-cut.

Tip #2 – Healthy choices go in the middle

Put your healthy options in the center of your refrigerator. Psychologists have found that people tend to go for items that are in their direct line of vision. Fun fact: this is also true for shelves at the grocery store.

Tip #3 – Put your Healthy foods in glass containers

Put your not so healthy snacks/foods in opaque containers and put your healthy snacks in glass bowls so you can see them. This way your healthy snacks will stand out and you are more apt to eat them.

Tip #4 - Save time to prep

By taking the time to prep you are three times more likely to eat your healthy snacks. Unfortunately, if you wait until you are hungry to clean and cut fruits and vegetables, you are less likely to eat them and you’ll end up grabbing something more convenient, like a candy bar or bag of chips.

Tip #5 – Less is more

Don’t overstuff your fridge! You may get frustrated having to spend time looking for your healthy snacks and end up going to the cupboard for something less fresh and nutritious, like a package of cookies.

Tip #6 – Post your receipt

Put your receipt where you can see it. It will remind you of what you bought and what you spent. We all complain it costs more to eat healthy, so use the fact that you spent extra money to motivate you to eat it.

Tip #7 – Ask that important question

Before you grab that next snack ask yourself - "Am I actually hungry?" - If your answer is yes, think about how much you should eat based on when your next meal is. This will help you make choices based on what your body needs.