5 Nutritionist-Approved Tips for Staying Healthy While Social Distancing
You’ve probably already heard the joke about why it’s really important to wear our face masks in our homes……. To prevent ourselves from returning to the fridge all the time and eating.
My social media feeds during lockdown have been filled with my friends baking … everything from, banana breads, apple crumbles, cookies, chocolate cakes… you name it.
And if you’re not the baker, being at home (even when busy and not bored) brings on a few laps to the fridge, just because.
We’re all stressed, and we’re all home all day, which could mean disaster for our eating habits.
Nutritionists have these 5 tips for us to stay healthy while in lockdown.
- Set Yourself Up for Success
Through planning. Creating a menu of easy-to-make pantry and refrigerator meals and snacks and sticking it in on your fridge. That way, every time you’re tempted to reach for that tub of ice cream in the back of the freezer, you’ll be reminded of how many easy, healthier options you also have.
- Caffeinate Wisely
Working from home, taking care of kids and navigating this new normal requires a lot of energy—often by way of copious amounts of coffee. But nutritionists warn against consuming too much coffee, which could make you jittery. A great alternative is matcha. If you just can’t get on the matcha train, try to limit yourself to two cups of coffee a day, and make sure to balance it out with tons of water and herbal teas.
- Structure Your Time
The risk of emotional eating is greater when you’re out of your routine. (And I agree, based on personal experience.) Nutritionists advise creating a meal and snack timetable, which decreases the likelihood that you’ll get wrapped up in a work project (or Netflix show), forget to have lunch, then “make up for it” by attacking a sleeve of biscuits.
- Think About Why You’re Having Cravings
Speaking of going crazy with a sleeve of cookies, Nutritionists say that while cravings aren’t necessarily wrong, “We often falsely interpret them as pure hunger, and they’re often a signal of a deeper emotional situation we need to address.” When a craving strikes, explain it before giving into it. Did you eat enough at your last meal? Have you eaten enough today in general? Are you anxious or bored? Do you need to go outside to clear your head a bit and breathe? Understanding why you want junk food could avoid the need to satisfy your cravings—or at least satisfy them with a healthier alternative.
- Cut Yourself Some Slack
You have enough stress on your plate with the virus going around, be nice to your strongest asset—your physical form. Thinking negatively or chastising yourself for how you’re eating can actually increase the drive to eat poorly. Understand that this is an unprecedented time, and the occasional junk food slip-up only means you’re human.
