Special offer

99 Reasons To Declutter: # 5 Keep Your Kitchen Clean To Lose Weight

By
Home Stager with Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island #888

One of the principles in Feng Shui when addressing your kitchen is to keep the sink, counter space, inside the fridge (promoting more healthy foods), pantry closet, and cabinets clear of clutter. Really, it's ideal to have the entire space in ship shape.

 

Why?

In Feng Shui terms, this lifestyle habit and practice of well-being creates a better flow of energy movement, while also calming unhealthy urges and a busy mind that could lead to stress. We are all becoming more aware in how stress could impact our lives. Symptoms could include low energy, insomnia, over eating, head aches, feeling depressed and a low immunity system which could lead to grander scales of problems.

So, could keeping your kitchen clean really be beneficial? You bet! And science is catching up with Feng Shui to prove the benefits. 

 

A study was conducted in Health Education and Behavior, from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. Researchers took photos of 200 house kitchens and weighed the women living in them. They found that women in homes with an abundance of excess items displayed in the kitchen (including food projects) weighed 20lbs more than those with clean kitchens (hardly anything stored out in the open). 

Another recommendation from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab study is to add a bowl of fruit to encourage healthy eating. This is also a foundational feng shui suggestion for all kitchens. 

 

 

The principles of Feng Shui has been saying this for over 4,000 years.

Respect your home, which also reflects the level of respect toward yourself and choose to live a healthy lifestyle inside and out. 

Posted by

 

Laura Cerrano is a second-generation Certified New York City Feng Shui Consultant Expert. As a full-time Feng Shui consultant, Laura provides bicoastal consultations and workshops for residential, commercial, real estate developments, Fortune 500 companies and healing faculties. In addition, Laura is a resident teacher at the Metropolitan Institute of Design in Syosset, NY. She has been featured in highly respected publications and TV networks such as Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," PBS, CBC Television, BBC Radio and The New York Times. 

 

Comments (70)

Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Interesting about the cluttered vs clean. I'm sure that is true. No clutter for me!

Jul 15, 2016 10:08 PM
Jennifer Mackay
Counts Real Estate Group, Inc. - Panama City, FL
Your Bay County Florida Realtor 850.774.6582

My kitchen is what I like to call "Lived in" - I'm not selling my house, so it's ok for me LOL

Thanks for sharing Laura Cerrano 

Jul 15, 2016 10:36 PM
Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty
Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County

"Choose to live a healthy lifestyle" is the best advice anyone can receive and is conveyed well here!

Jul 15, 2016 11:48 PM
Laura Moore
Coldwell Banker - Granite Bay, CA
Competent ~ Caring ~ Committed

We recently had our kitchen cabinets stripped and re-stained. We basically had to move everything out of the kitchen. It was the perfect time to "de-clutter" almost 20 years of stuff! My vow to mysef was to get rid of half of what was there. I probably accomplished 3/4 of that goal, and what an incredible feeling of lightness and satisfaction. Counters mostly empty, some drawers and cabinets now unused. Now if I just padlock the fridge.............maybe that 20 pounds will leave too :-D

Jul 16, 2016 01:26 AM
Theresa Akin
CORPUS CHRISTI REALTY GROUP - Corpus Christi, TX

We have been progressively downsizing/decluttering if you will. One of my biggest pet peeves is a refrigerator full of magnets and "refrigerator art". Hubby got home yesterday to a refrigerator top free of his koozies and "bs (aka bothersome stuff). It bothered me. I cleared a space in one of the cupboards nearby for his bs. I am not a fan of open shelving, it just looks like clutter to me. I feel the same way about knick knacks. Alot of dusting for allergens. I am not a fan of housekeeping, so it needs to be quick and not tedious. If it can't be done in one fell swoop, it just might end  on the curb or inthe dumpster. I could go on and on but looking to see what else I can pitch.

Jul 16, 2016 02:36 AM
Bruce Hicks
Best Homes Hawaii - Honolulu, HI
Your Best Hawaii Realtor!

This is a wonderful article Laura Cerrano . Is there anything in Feng Shui where one would need an exhaust hood over the gas range top?  Just curious.  The photo is very nice but I wonder about the smoke from the gas cooking in the center of the kitchen, unless the exhaust is at countertop level.

Jul 16, 2016 02:49 AM
Beth Atalay
Cam Realty and Property Management - Clermont, FL
Cam Realty of Clermont FL

Laura, I like to deep clean my fridge once a week, some would say it's a bit much but it makes me happy and content. As far as having "stuff" on the counters, it drives me absolutely crazy. 

Jul 16, 2016 02:51 AM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Great advice and very interesting!  Checking my kitchen, I have a few items on the counter, but not much.  Unless you could items hand made by my kids and grandkids!

Jul 16, 2016 07:28 AM
Olga Simoncelli
Veritas Prime, LLC dba Veritas Prime Real Estate - New Fairfield, CT
CONSULTANT, Real Estate Services & Risk Management

Some things just make sense.

Jul 16, 2016 10:21 AM
Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Laura

Congratulations on be rewarded a gold star feature for an outstanding post.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

Jul 16, 2016 11:54 PM
Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@Properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital

Hi, Laura!  This post is on this morning's list - Last Week's Favorites on ActiveRain: July 10th-16th.  Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Jul 17, 2016 12:36 AM
Laura Cerrano

Thanks Patricia!! 


 

Jul 18, 2016 10:43 AM
Mary Hutchison, SRES, ABR
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate-Kansas City Homes - Kansas City, MO
Experienced Agent in Kansas City Metro area

Oh so easy to grab food and treats left on the counter...especially home made baked goods which is my addiction!  Keep it out of sight and temptation!

Jul 17, 2016 01:13 AM
Sam Shueh
(408) 425-1601 - San Jose, CA
mba, cdpe, reopro, pe

Removed staled food and when pulled the refrigerator for repair.  As for extra canneries it is a good idea to go through cabinets once a year for donation....

Jul 18, 2016 12:49 AM
Gene Mundt, IL/WI Mortgage Originator - FHA/VA/Conv/Jumbo/Portfolio/Refi
NMLS #216987, IL Lic. 031.0006220, WI Licensed. APMC NMLS #175656 - New Lenox, IL
708.921.6331 - 40+ yrs experience

Laura Cerrano ... had never even considered the advantages of feng shui and organization at this level before, but it makes perfect sense!  Fascinating ...

Gene

Jul 18, 2016 01:23 AM
Teral McDowell
Referral Patners LLC - Murphy, TX

Now that's an interesting thought on keeping the kitchen clean contributing to weight loss...love it.

Jul 19, 2016 04:36 AM
Inna Ivchenko
Barcode Properties - Encino, CA
Realtor® • GRI • HAFA • PSC Calabasas CA

I just love it: 

''Respect your home, which also reflects the level of respect toward yourself and choosing to live a healthy lifestyle inside and out. ''

Aug 03, 2016 04:50 PM
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

I agree, cleaning out the clutter does so much to open up the flow and improve our performance and outlook in any room.

Oct 19, 2016 04:33 PM
Sheri Sperry - MCNE®
Coldwell Banker Realty - Sedona, AZ
(928) 274-7355 ~ YOUR Solutions REALTOR®

Hi Laura Cerrano - I work to encorporate Fung-Shui into my daily life.  I find the study curious. 

Oct 19, 2016 11:25 PM
MichelleCherie Carr Crowe .Just Call. 408-252-8900
Get Results Team...Just Call (408) 252-8900! . DRE #00901962 . Licensed to Sell since 1985 . Altas Realty - San Jose, CA
Family Helping Families Buy & Sell Homes 40+ Years

I love keeping a lovely bowl full of fresh fruit out and available to see and enjoy.

Jan 03, 2017 09:13 PM
Beth Bromund
Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel - Rochester, MI
REALTOR (248) 651-3500

Interesting correlation between weight and kitchen objects.  

Jan 31, 2017 06:26 PM