HOW ORGANISING YOUR FRIDGE COULD BE THE SECRET TO A STRESS-FREE LIFE!
Could a simple thing like organising your fridge be the secret to a stress-free life?
New research released today shows Aussies are suffering from negative fridge Qi, creating bad energy and an unhealthy lifestyle.
This negative fridge Qi adds to our mental load in the kitchen, with Aussies admitting it’s leading to excess food waste (92%), added time by making them constantly search for ingredients (86%), and causing stress (83%) by making them feel overwhelmed when opening the fridge.
Award-winning Feng Shui Master, Jane Langof, says organising our fridges with Feng Shui principles could be the key to bringing balance, creating harmony, and convenience in the home.
“By letting our fridges become disorganised and cluttered, we are disrupting the flow of Qi, preventing our ability to attract positive energy and reduce unfavourable influences where we need it most," she said.
"Fortunately, we can create a clear path for good energy by revisiting how we arrange our fridges.
“A great tip to help is to optimise organisation by sorting our fridge by meals, over ingredients. Using a meal kit delivery service such as HelloFresh makes this easy by grouping all the ingredients you need for lunch or dinner in convenient meal kit bags, ultimately saving us time scouring the fridge.
"Each meal kit bag comes with high-quality pre-portioned ingredients along with the easy-to-follow recipe card minimising food waste and clutter. This can also save us time.”
Helping Australians bring the ancient art of Feng Shui to the fridge, Jane has created a simple five-step program to boost your Qi in the kitchen.
1. The Goldilocks principle
One of the simplest ways people can work to Feng Shui their fridge is by adopting the ‘Goldilocks’ principle. Just like in the fairy tale, the Goldilocks principle involves striking the perfect balance between not too much, and not too little.
In finding the middle ground between being too cluttered and too bare in our fridge, we can enhance the generation of positive Qi (or energy) in your kitchen. This balanced Qi is said to have many impacts on both our mental and physical health including reducing stress and increasing immunity.
On the flip side, having too much in your fridge can cause us to feel overwhelmed, or even claustrophobic. Too little can evoke a sense of scarcity and leave us wanting more.
If you can open your fridge without these feelings, it means you’re on the right track!
2. The heart of your home
The kitchen is widely recognised as the heart of the home, and the same concept applies to Feng Shui! The energy people cultivate in their kitchens is believed to directly affect their health and prosperity.
The fridge is an extremely important chamber of this heart, as the foods we eat have a direct correlation to our energy and moods.
By ensuring your fridge is readily stocked with fresh, healthy meals and snacks, we can enhance our well-being.
3. Invite positive energy and enhance energy flow.
In Feng Shui, the front entrance to your home is often called the mouth of Qi, as it attracts both energy and opportunities. First impressions do matter in Feng Shui!
This principle is just as important for our fridges. The front of the fridge should be where we store our most nutritious and nourishing foods. Items not in everyday use and those we only use on occasion can be migrated towards the back of the fridge.
You should also use this as an opportunity to remove any old or expired foods as these can create blockages in Qi.
4. Optimise the arrangement.
Say goodbye to items falling or flying as you open the fridge door. If you’ve already cleared out unnecessary items and your fridge is still crowded, there are some other ways you can maximise the use of the space.
Having recipes with pre-portioned ingredients in a meal kit bag can help optimise organisation and minimise food wastage.
Shelves should also be arranged to ensure that items are easily within reach - avoid placing tall ingredients at the front that will block your path.
5. Balance the five elements
In Feng Shui, balancing the five elements - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water - is key to supporting your health and wellbeing. Each element is associated with specific colours and shapes, which can be reflected in the foods we choose for our fridge.
Here’s how you can represent these elements in your fridge:
Wood: Green veggies such as beans or zucchini
Fire: Red fruits such as apples, strawberries or even chilli
Earth: Yellow or orange root vegetables such as carrots or sweet potatoes
Metal: White and round objects represent this, so have rice and pantry staples like milk and eggs on hand
Water: Blue fruits such as blueberries and blackberries
The research, conducted for leading meal delivery kit HelloFresh, also showed our poor fridge Feng Shui was dramatically impacting the planet and our hip pockets.
Over half of Australians (56%) admit they’ve thrown out forgotten food and ingredients due to poor fridge organisation, while over a third (34%) have let food go to waste because they over-ordered on their weekly shop.
For the vast majority of Aussies (61%), this equates to up to $300 per year in wasted food, increasing to $600 for another 25%.
