NUTRITION AND WELLNESS GUIDE TO SELF-ISOLATING: PART II
Part one of this Guide to Self-Isolating addressed how to instill structure to maintain mental and physical health. Part two will help you figure out what to eat during self-isolation to sustain your wellness and weight loss goals. Some may use self-isolation as an excuse to make poor food choices and fall off the bandwagon. However, it is possible to stay the course, even during isolation. In fact, with no parties, group dinners, or restaurant outings, this is an excellent time to focus on our food choices and clean up the diet. Here is how to do it:
Buy healthy, nutrient dense non-perishables.
Just because we are hunkering down, it doesn’t mean we need to subsist on empty calories from pasta and chips. There is a plethora of healthy, nutrient dense foods that last. Below is a list of shelf-stable foods that pack a ton of nutritional value – particularly in the protein and fiber department.
Canned low-sodium, broth-based soups
Canned or dried legumes (eg. beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas)
Jarred or canned vegetables
Jarred or canned tomato sauce.
Try to get one without added sugar.
Nuts and nut butters.
Dehydrated vegetables. (eg. carrot, beet, and cauliflower)
Trader Joe’s, Rhythm Superfoods, and Dada Daily all make varieties.
Canned fish.
Opt for low-mercury tuna varieties like skipjack.
Legume or whole wheat pasta.
Trader Joes, Tolerant Foods, Chickapeas, and Explore Cuisine all make varieties.
Legume rice.
Right Rice has several varieties.
Whole grain crackers.
High fiber cereal.
Smart Bran is an excellent option.
Whole grains (eg. quinoa, farro, oats, brown rice, etc.)
Eggs and egg whites.
These aren’t shelf stable, but they last a long time in the fridge.
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and winter squash.
While these won’t last forever, they don’t need refrigeration and do last a while.
Olive oil and avocado oil.
Vinegars.
Spices.
Teas.
Unsweetened alternative milks.
Make use of the freezer.
The freezer is a great way to keep fresh food longer. Below is a list of items you can freeze without compromising taste, texture, or nutritional value.
Fruit and vegetables.
Milk.
Fish, shellfish, meat, and poultry.
High fiber bread and tortillas.
Freshly made soups, stews, slow-cooked meals, meat sauces, etc.
Don’t touch your non-perishables and freezer stash unless you need to.
Having a stash of food will give you peace of mind that you will always have food available, and let’s be honest – peace of mind is extremely important right now. However, that doesn’t mean you need to starve in the meantime, which brings us to the next point.
Continue to buy fresh produce and eat as you normally would.
So long as you can go to the grocery store, you can keep your grocery list the same as it looked before the outbreak began. Buy enough fresh fruit, vegetables, protein, etc. to get you through the week to ensure sure you are hitting your food group goals for each meal and snack.
Cook simply and strategically.
Cooking can be daunting, especially for those who have never cooked before. Below are some tips to guide you.
Keep things simple.
Now is not the time to get involved with complicated recipes that require obscure ingredients that are hard to find. Not only that, by keeping the flavor profiles of your food simple (eg: salt, pepper, garlic, etc.) you can repurpose food for multiple meals without flavors clashing.
Be mindful not to over-salt or over-season food.
It is much easier to add seasoning after than to take seasoning away. The last thing you want is to make a dish inedible. So taste as you go and add as needed.
Batch cook so that you don’t have to spend all day in the kitchen.
Roast a bunch of vegetables; bake a few pieces of fish or chicken; hard boil some eggs; and cook healthy grains. This way, you can mix and match to create different meals without having to make something entirely new every time you want to eat.
First in, first out.
To prevent food from going bad, always cook and eat the first foods you bought first. Once you’re done with that food, you move onto the more recently purchased foods.
Keep indulgences planned and portioned.
It is still important to allow for indulgences just as you would during normal life. Here are three ways to keep your indulgences in check.
Plan indulgences in advance.
Make sure you are not indulging due to stress because that can send eating into a tailspin.
Create a separate space for indulgent foods so that you can keep them out of sight to reduce temptation.
That’s all for now! Stay tuned for Part III.
In the meantime, stay safe and stay healthy.