There are a plethora of reasons why our kitchen clutter catches up with us, and it doesn’t take much. But new studies have shown that there’s a link between kitchen clutter and our eating habits: the tidier your kitchen, the more likely you are to stick to your meal plan.
A study published in Environment and Behaviour observed the relationship between kitchen cleanliness and snacking behaviour with over 100 participants, who were placed in either a clean kitchen or dirt kitchen, and then asked to write about their feelings while snacking on an all-you-can-eat snack buffet. The study participants that were in a cluttered kitchen were found to be more likely to choose unhealthy snacks, and eat twice as many, like those in tidy kitchens.
The study links this relationship to a feeling of being in or out of control. Clutter raises our stress levels and makes us more likely to stress eat. On the flip side, keeping a clean kitchen can help us stay on track with our meal plans and goals.