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A healthier lifestyle can start right at home in your cozy kitchen. From knowing how to read confusing labels to discovering simple foods to stock in your freezer, our tips will help you outfit your kitchen so that your life becomes easier.

1. Stock the Fridge Stock your kitchen with food items purchased around the perimeter of the grocery store (produce, dairy, meats and seafood). By making healthy foods the focus of your fridge, you're less likely to eat high-fat, high-calorie and high-sodium "fast" foods. Mustards are a fat-free flavor enhancer, as are salsas and vinegars. And try keeping frozen fruit bars, fat-free ice cream, bags of mixed vegetables and no-sugar-added fruits in your freezer. Get more tips on how to fill your fridge and freezer, top to bottom.

2. Learn Label Lingo Confused about whether to buy the “low,” “light” or “reduced” version of the food you’re eyeing in the store? You’re not alone. “I wish these nutrient terms [on food labels] came with an explanation and how to apply them but they don't,” says Cynthia Sass, M.P.H., M.A., R.D., a registered dietician in New York City and author of "Your Diet Is Driving Me Crazy" (Marlowe & Company, 2004). To help enlighten bewildered aisle browsers, we’ve put together a short glossary of food label terms. 

3. Whole Hog on Whole Grains Avoid bleached, refined flour products in favor of whole grain versions whenever possible for added vitamins and minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Stock your pantry with a variety of grains including brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, quick-cooking barley and bulgur (the main ingredient in tabouli and a good rice or couscous substitute). Try swapping regular dried pasta for whole wheat versions to consume the recommended three servings of whole grains each day. See what other healthy options should fill your pantry. 

4. Create a Cookbook A number of food-focused Web sites provide free recipes that you can print out in recipe card or full-page formats. Spice up your recipe repertoire, and challenge yourself to cook at least two new recipes a week. When searching for new recipes, try to cook more with healthy ingredients, such as lean meats and fish; anything that’s baked, broiled or grilled; fiber from whole grains; low-fat dairy products; and plenty of vegetables. Keep the recipes that you and your family have enjoyed in an inexpensive three-ring binder so you can refer back to them often. Get more tips for healthy cooking.

5. Know Your Pans If you're replacing out-of-date cookware, invest in four basic pieces before buying anything else. Most of your cooking needs will be met with a 3-quart covered saucepan, an 8- to 12-quart covered stockpot, a roasting pan with a rack, and a 12-inch skillet. And if you're wondering about the pan health concerns related to non-stick surfaces, aluminum, copper and steel, we have the scoop. 

6. Pass the Garlic Although technically a food, garlic is often grouped with spices, since few people eat it raw. But the plant’s value has been legendary since the Middle Ages, when it was used to protect against bubonic plague. During World War I, soldiers used garlic to treat typhus and dysentery and to clean wounds. And modern research suggests that garlic’s sulfur-containing compounds may even exhibit antibacterial activity against some drug-resistant bacteria strains. In addition, garlic is under the microscope for its cancer-preventative properties, lipid-lowering effects and antioxidant status. Learn more about eating garlic and other "microbials."  

7. One Step at a Time Do today’s dietary recommendations make you want to throw up your hands? Who wants to eat less saturated fat, less trans fat, less sugar, less salt, more whole grains, more fruit, more veggies, more fish, more fiber – and on and on? Adopting the perfect diet seems daunting, not to mention unsatisfying. Here’s a novel approach endorsed by top nutritionists: Make one dietary change at a time. If you simply switch from whole to nonfat milk in your daily latte, you could lose ten pounds in a year. See six small changes with big nutritional payoffs.