By Joëlle Emond, KMHC Registered Dietitian. Published 2020-08-07.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought major changes in the lives of many: isolation, disturbed routine, increased stress, reduced hours of work, and income. As you may come to realize, these can be the makings of a perfect storm for malnutrition. If like many others the pandemic has taken a toll on your eating habits, here’s help to preserve your health and the health of loved ones!
EATING WELL TO SUPPORT THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
The fact that more people than usual cannot eat enough or well enough during the pandemic is a huge concern. Although no single food, supplement or natural health product will prevent you from catching COVID-19[i], eating a variety of healthy foods every day is just as important for a strong immune system as are other healthy lifestyle habits like exercise, being smoke free, sleeping enough and managing stress. In addition of helping to prevent or manage a health condition you might already be living with like diabetes, heart disease and cancers, choosing to eat mostly vitamin-packed vegetables and fruit, fiber-rich whole grains and lean proteins can help defend your body against invaders, such as viruses and bacteria.
[i] https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/covid-19.html
BALANCING YOUR PLATE ON A TIGHT BUDGET
Almost 1 in 7 Canadians reported going hungry because there was not enough money for foods during the pandemic.[i] In addition, people living with little ones and the ones who has lost their job were more likely to be worried about food running out before there was money to buy more and having difficulty affording to eat balanced meals.
If you are trying to balance good nutrition with affordability, the price of food can be an important barrier. When the family budget is limited, the first items dropped are usually high-quality foods like vegetables and fruit, nuts, yogurt, fish and chicken. Food choices tend to shift toward those with more refined sugar and saturated or trans fat like white bread, white rice and pasta, processed meats, sodas and cakes or pastries.[ii] While many healthy foods are quite expensive, there are plenty of affordable ones too. Cooking from scratch with simple ingredients is a fantastic way to save money on groceries while eating healthier!
[i] https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00039-eng.htm
[ii] https://www.ifpri.org/blog/covid-19-nutrition-crisis-what-expect-and-how-protect
EXTRA TIPS to eat healthy for less
- Cook your own meals. Although it may seem cheaper to hit the drive-through, your dollar will take you much further if spent at the grocery store! If you do order out, consider splitting the meal in 2 to help both your health and your budget!
- Go with plant-based proteins. In addition to being very nutritious, beans, lentils and peas are way less expensive than their animal counterpart meat, poultry and fish. Try vegetarian chili, add cans of rinsed kidney or navy beans to vegetable soups or use brown lentils to stretch your spaghetti sauce.
- Take the time to plan your menu. Choosing ahead what you will eat and sticking to your grocery list can help you avoid buying too much and wasting food.
- Transform leftovers. Use leftover chicken and meat to make sandwiches or stir fry and bones to start a soup. Save vegetable trimmings in the freezer to make flavorful stocks.
- Make extras. Make double of a recipe when the ingredients are in season or go on sale. Put extras in the freezer to enjoy a prepared meal another time!
- Plant a garden. Consider vegetables like green beans, beets, onions, broccoli, peppers, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, peas, berries and fresh herbs.
THE BASIC healthy grocery shopping list
Vegetables & Fruit
- Carrots
- Onions
- Garlic
- Potatoes / Sweet potatoes
- Turnip / Rutabaga
- Green Cabbage
- Canned pumpkin, plain
- Canned tomatoes, no added salt
- Tomato paste, no added salt
- Frozen or canned vegetables, no added salt
- Bananas
- Apples
- Oranges
- Lemon
- Frozen or canned fruits, no added sugar
- Applesauce, unsweetened
Whole Grains
- Brown bread
- Brown rice
- Brown pasta
- Hulled barley
- Old fashioned oats
Protein Foods
- Dried or canned beans, peas and lentils (ex. kidney beans, black beans, split peas, chickpeas, etc.)
- Canned light tuna in water
- Eggs
- 0-2% M.F. Milk / Skim milk powder
- Natural peanut butter
Others
- Pepper
- Dry mustard
- Oil
- Vinegar
- Chicken broth, no added salt
- Dried herbs
- Spices
- Cornstarch
- Whole wheat flour
- Sugar
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Cocoa powder
- Raisins
- Whole corn kernels
- Sparkling water
- Green tea / Herbal tea / Black tea / Coffee
A VEGETARIAN FAVORITE
Lentil Bolognese
Recipe and image from Canadian Living[i]
[i] https://www.canadianliving.com/food/lunch-and-dinner/recipe/our-best-lentil-bolognese
|
Total time |
Portion Size |
|
25 minutes |
4 servings |
INGREDIENTS
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 mushrooms, chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
- ¼ cup tomato paste, no added salt
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth, no added salt
- 540 ml can lentils, drained and rinsed
- 250 g (about 2 ¼ cups) any short pasta
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
METHOD
- In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, carrot, onion, salt and hot pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Push vegetables to edge of pan. Add tomato paste to centre; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Mix into vegetables; cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in broth; cook until carrot is soft, about 5 minutes. Add lentils; cook for 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions. Reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid, drain.
- Stir pasta and enough reserved cooking liquid to loosen sauce into lentil mixture. Stir in Parmesan.
- Divide among plates; sprinkle with more Parmesan, if desired.
CELEBRATE REAL FOOD!
Brown Paper Bag Popcorn
Recipe and image from Bless this Mess[i]
[i] https://www.blessthismessplease.com/how-to-pop-popcorn-in-a-brown-paper-bag-the-microwave/
|
Total time |
Portion Size |
|
5 minutes |
1 serving |
INGREDIENTS
- ⅓ cup popcorn kernels
- 1 medium brown paper bag
- Seasonings to taste (optional)
METHOD
- Add the popcorn to the paper bag and fold the top over a time or two.
- Microwave on high until the popping has a one second gap in it, about 1:30-2:30 minutes and seconds. The goal is to pop as many kernels as you can without burning the popcorn. The time that will take will vary depending on the age of your popcorn and your microwave.
- Stop the microwave, dump the popped popcorn into a large bowl and season as desired.
- Repeat as needed to get the desired amount of popcorn.
SOLUTIONS TO EATING FOR COMFORT
The changes that COVID-19 has brought into our lives might have triggered an array of emotions: stress, fear, anger, boredom and even loneliness. It is possible at some point you have found yourself reaching out for comfort food or having a drink to relieve some of them. If so, you are not alone as 25% of Canadians (aged 35-54) reported drinking more due to COVID-19 pandemic.[i]
Many studies show that emotional or physical distress increases the amount of food we eat, particularly those higher in fat, sugar or both. Furthermore, a change in your routine such as not having to commute to work and the ability to wake up later can also throw off your mealtimes and otherwise established healthy habits.
If emotional eating or drinking is a strategy you have used before, you probably know the relief it brings is only temporary. Soon after the start, a feeling of guilt may arise which keeps the emotional consumption going instead of putting an end to it. Using this strategy often may lead to weight gain and loss of good health.
[i] https://www.ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2020-04/CCSA-NANOS-Alcohol-Consumption-During-COVID-19-Report-2020-en.pdf
Emotional Hunger
Physical Hunger
Comes …
Suddenly
Gradually
Needs to be satisfied …
Right away
Now or Later
Presents with …
No physical cues of hunger
Stomach growling, loss of focus, irritability
Brings a desire for …
Specific foods
A range of different foods
The sensation of fullness …
Might not stop the eating
Stops the eating
May cause …
Guilt, shame or powerlessness
No negative feeling about eating
Mindful eating is an approach that can help make eating an intentional act again instead of an automatic one. It involves minimising distractions while eating and retraining the mind and body to experience foods with all your senses. Studies show mindful eating techniques may effectively treat common, unhealthy eating behaviors like emotional eating. [i] If you think this can be useful to you, consider getting help from a dietitian and/or psychologist that specializes in this approach. In the meantime, finding other replacement strategies to deal with emotions such as deep breathing, meditating or journaling can also help you retrieve the pleasure of eating in response to physical cues of hunger!
GET STARTED with mindful eating
- Plan to eat regular meals and snacks throughout day. Adopting a daily routine can help prevent overeating later in the day.
- Ditch distractions. Eat at the table rather than on the go. Turn off all screens and focus on your food – how it tastes, smells and looks. Enjoy every bite and pay attention to fullness cues.
- Slow down. Put down your fork between bites to take time to savour your food. Focus on how it feels in your mouth. Changing longstanding habits will take time…
- Start a food and mood journal. Keep track of what kind of foods you eat and how you are feeling when eating it. Look for reoccurring patterns.
- Break the habit. The next time you feel like eating in response to an emotion, look for an alternative strategy that will directly address the emotion (ex.: going for a walk to taking a bath when feeling stressed or videoconference with family and friends when feeling lonesome).
