Small appliances that motivate healthy eating

On paper, it sounds pretty easy to switch to healthier cooking and healthier eating. Cut out carbs, increase your protein, and drink more water – there are a lot of tips you can follow to eat better. While the routine is pretty simple, the problem people have usually comes down to time, effort, and taste. Fast food tastes great when you’re starving, grabbing a sugar-laced snack bar is easier than making a salad, and cooking a healthy meal takes more time than a lot of people have in their busy day.

Healthy eating starts in your kitchen

The trick to healthy eating is to set yourself up so it’s easy to prepare healthy food, and all you need to do is add a few small appliances to your kitchen. Some are obvious choices, while others might surprise you.

1. Drink your way to good health with a blender

Blenders have long been an appliance staple for anyone interested in healthy eating. With a powerful blender on your countertop, you can blend up a quick smoothie, make a veggie-packed dip, or whip up a hot soup in minutes.

Best types of blenders for healthy eating

We’ve tested out quite a few different blenders on the blog. In my opinion, the best blenders for healthy eating are high-performance blenders with the power to crush ice and nuts. When you can grind everything into a healthy smoothie, you’re able to make protein-packed drinks that help you feel full for longer.

I also like blenders with personal blending cups. You can find quite a few brands that offer this feature including Breville, KitchenAid, and Ninja. It helps with a healthy eating plan because you can blend your drink in the personal cup and take it with you to your desk or if you’re on the go.

2. Boost your energy throughout the day with a juicer

Juicing is one of the easiest ways to give your body the vitamins and minerals you need to lose weight. Juicing is also a great way to boost your energy throughout the day, and it can give you the fuel you need to get through a workout.

There are two main types of juicers – centrifugal force juicers and masticating juicers. Centrifugal juicers are commonly known as fast juicers because they extract juice by spinning very fast. Masticating juicers are the type of juicer known as slow press, as it slowly extracts juice using force. This type of juicer will retain the most vitamins and minerals because it slowly extracts juice from your fruits and vegetables and it does so without generating a lot of heat.

I’ve tested out a lot of different juicers and found there are benefits to both types. The one you choose will depend on the type of juice you’re making, how much time you have in the morning to juice, and the features you’re looking for.

You can take a look at the blender and juicer buying guide for a detailed look at the features on the latest blenders and juicers.

3. Pressure cookers cook in half the time

One of the tricks to losing weight and eating healthier is preparing food before you’re hungry. If your dinner is ready when you walk in the door, you’re less likely to grab whatever is easiest.

People love to use slow cookers to make healthy meals hours before you’re ready to eat them, but a pressure cooker can make a delicious, healthy meal in a hurry. It will stay warm until you’re ready to eat it too.

Best pressure cookers for cooking healthy meals

My favourite pressure cooker is the Instant Pot. I’ve been using this amazing pressure cooker for a few years now, and it definitely promotes healthy eating. I don’t eat impulsively because dinner is ready fast, and it retains nutrients and vitamins because of the way it cooks your food.

I love everything about my Instant Pot. It slow cooks, has a rice and stew setting, can perfectly hard boil eggs in minutes, and you can pressure cook chicken, beef, or veggies in no time at all. Plus, you can turn a pressure cooker on and forget it. It will release the steam for you so you don’t have to be there when it’s finished cooking, and your food will stay warm without burning. I put everything in the pot hours before dinner and it’s ready to serve when we are ready to eat.

4. Air fryers help curb fast food cravings

I had to see it to believe it myself, but an air fryer does cook ‘fried’ food much healthier. I’ve made french fries, chicken strips, calamari, and wings in my air fryer, all without added oil. Air fryers work quickly and give you the option of filling a craving without blowing your healthy eating streak. Some air fryers work as rotisserie ovens too, so you can put a chicken on the rotisserie and you’ll have dinner in no time. The air fryer buying guide has a list of all of the features you can find on this small appliance.

Best air fryers for eating healthy

There are a few kinds of air fryers; air fryer ovens, stand-alone air fryers that are part of your range, and air fryers as part of another appliance. I’ve tested out air fryer ovens as well as air fryers that are a feature on microwaves and toaster ovens, and I’ve been so impressed with how well they cook, how fast the process is, and how many options you have when you cook in an air fryer.

If you think only breaded food tastes great in an air fryer, you need to try crispy cauliflower. When veggies taste this great without being deep-fried, you can nip cravings in the bud. Just pop a few cauliflower heads in your air fryer, add a little spice, and air fry for around 15 minutes. You can toss them in olive oil before you air fry, but you don’t have to. They taste great either way. Take a look at some of the reviews of air fryers on the blog for an idea of how they work and recipes you can cook in one.

5. Kitchen gadgets for healthy cooking

There are a few must-have kitchen gadgets that make healthy cooking a breeze. My favourite gadgets are a kitchen scale and a spiral cutter.

Kitchen scales

Kitchen scales help you with portion control, so if you’re trying to stick to a diet and you’re unsure how much you should eat, you can weigh your food on the scale. Kitchen scales also make it easy to accurately measure liquids and solids. If you’re making a new healthy recipe and you want to be sure it turns out, your kitchen scale will be a lifesaver.

Spiral cutters

Spiral cutters will take veggies and spiral them into different shapes. You can pop them in an air fryer or steam them and use them as replacements for unhealthy snacks like french fries. One of my favourite desserts is spiralled apple and spiralled pear. I steam them in my instant pot and add a little cinnamon and stevia to add a sweeter flavour. You can spiral any kind of veggie too, and spiralled root veggies are great as a side dish and in salads to add flavour.

There are also stand mixer spiral cutters. You can attach the spiral cutter to the stand mixer and it will spiral your favourite fruits or vegetables.

Motivate yourself to eat healthier

I know that sticking to a healthy eating plan can be difficult, especially as the winter drags on. Having these small appliances on hand will help you cook speedy dinners, help curb cravings for deep-fried foods, and make it really easy to eat more fruits and veggies.

You can find small appliances to help with healthier eating at Best Buy right now.