If stress and uncertainty during the coronavirus lockdown are bringing out your worst eating habits, we are here to help! A little discipline, effort and wise shopping is all it takes to maintain a balanced diet at home with regular stuff in your pantry or freezer.
Healthy eating tips:
- Focus on your 3 meals a day; breakfast lunch and dinner. This will help to minimise snacking.
- Focus on a nutritious and varied diet. To do this, add more plant-based food into your diet; fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. These foods will also keep you fuller and satisfied – meaning fewer cravings and less reaching for the unhealthy foods.
- Getting fresh produce at this time may be difficult, so focus on canned and frozen foods.
- Plain frozen vegetables and fruits, like corn, peas, carrots, green beans, spinach, broccoli, “riced” cauliflower, berries and mangoes, can be just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts because they are flash-frozen at peak freshness. This locks in the nutrients and preserves ripeness. Frozen veggies are great for a bowl of quick veggie-fried rice. Add beans, soy or chicken for protein.
- Canned items such as beans, lentils and chickpeas are quick and convenient options that can be added to soups or stews. Legumes are loaded with prebiotic fibre which is very important for gut health, which is important for immunity. Garlic, leeks and onions added to soups and stews are also rich in prebiotic fibres.
- Oily fish such as sardines and pilchards are great protein options and are loaded with immune-boosting vitamin D and omegas.
- Dried beans and lentils are also great to add to soups and stews. Other nutritious, high-fibre staples are oats, brown rice, quinoa and whole-wheat pasta.
- Focus on varying your diet on a weekly basis. Simple meal options with a few varied items will allow you to obtain all the vitamins and minerals that you need in your diet.
- And lastly – drink your water. So many of us have stocked up on juices and cooldrinks which are loaded with sugar. Water adds no calories, eases hunger, fills the stomach and consequently reduces energy intake. Water also helps the gut adapt to a high-fibre diet.
Still think your micronutrient needs are not being met? Adding a supplement like Nature’s Nutrition into your diet will help you reach your daily quota.
