Yikes! A messy kitchen may make us eat more. Eating behavior scientists conducted a study looking at snacking in a tidy kitchen vs. a messy kitchen. For this study, researchers placed 98 women into one of two different kitchen environments—one that was organized and clean, and one that was chaotic and unkempt.

Each woman was then primed to think about and write down a time when they felt stressed and out of control. Right after this priming exercise, each woman was served bowls of snacks consisting of cookies, crackers, and carrots, and instructed to eat as desired. The results? Study subjects in the messy kitchen ate twice as many cookies as the subjects in the clean kitchen. The lead researcher noted that when we are stressed, being in an untidy kitchen appears to be bad for weight control.

Take home message: Keeping a clean and organized kitchen may help you eat less. (Environment and Behavior, Feb. 2016)

Join me in the kitchen for my brand new Kitchen Companion E-Course!

Discounted enrollment opens this WEDNESDAY. Click the image below for details. 

We’d love to have you! (Keep an eye out for the enrollment email coming Wednesday).