Healthy Food Tips to Follow During this Quarantine

The covid-19 pandemic is becoming a much more pressing threat every day as WHO and other health organizations are making great efforts to get them in control as we speak. With the ever-increasing health concern, self-quarantine and isolation practices have become more common across the globe.

This indeed has made drastic changes to our eating habits as people are not free to get their desired food products at any time, a reduced no of food stores and Panic shopping has become a major problem. So it calls for some quick pro-healthy food tips to effectively manage such situations.

Fear-driven Food stocking affects society in a big way. It results in uneven distribution of food supplies which could result in riots and burglary. Also “Too available” of food items results in improper diet practices among individuals as well. This might affect their health further. So it is paramount to take a quick few health and nutrition tips into consideration to stay healthy & fit.

Plan Your Meals

Overstocking of any food products would often result in their wastage. As some of these food items have a shorter shelf life. It is always better to keep this in mind while purchasing. Also, remember the existing food stocks in your house and only purchase the missing ones. This way you can easily get what you are looking for without re-purchasing the same.

Always Prefer Fresh Food Products

As many food items come with a quick expire date like fruits, vegetables, dairy products always prefer them when they are fresh. Some food items like frozen fruits, vegetables may last even weeks. So better hold them for later use. Also, consider freezing the leftovers to be used for another meal. This way food wastage is greatly avoided and it proves economical too.

Home Cooked Meals

The majority of people don’t bother to try restaurants for their day-to-day meals. However the blame is on us, our hectic work life is also one of the major reasons. However, with the ongoing pandemic and self-quarantine practices, we have a great deal of time so it is the best way to try some cooking. Though one may not be a good cook initially, with the right guidelines and practice, one could easily get the hang of it.

There are tons of free references available on the internet that one could make use of at any time. YouTube videos, cookery blogs with lots of interesting recipes with simple and easy instructions to guide it could be healthy as well as fun. So give it a try!

Who knows it could be your part-time business as well.

Get the Right Portions

One of the most difficult tasks in-home cooking is finding the right portions of the ingredients for the food. Well, the Internet comes in handy in such cases. With a little bit of surfing, you could come across tons of videos and articles giving you the precise info that you are looking for. This also helps in shopping the next time you visit the stores.

Also, remember to stick to the food and dietary guidelines as the healthy portions might vary depending on the individual.

Safety Food Handling

Safer food is always a healthy and preferable one. To ensure food safety at all times. Though it might not sound more alarming, unhygienic food practices could do more harm than good. It results in various health issues like diarrhea, food poisoning, etc. So maintaining a hygienic culinary space is a top priority.

This includes.

• Keeping your hands, utensils, and dishes clean
• Use clean water and raw material.
• Keep the food in safe temperatures like below 5C or above 60C
• Separate the Raw food from the cooked food (especially raw meat)

Avail Food Delivery Options If Necessary

Though home-cooked meals are more preferable some might find it too difficult at certain times. In such cases, it is better to prefer the food delivery options. Many countries have advanced food delivery systems that serve ready meals or raw materials. They could come in handy when you are sick, or too busy with office work. But remember health comes first. So always prefer a contactless delivery and make sure the food is stored in safe food temperatures (below 5c or above 60c). But be mindful to look for the available sources in your area.

Enjoy Family Time

Quarantine periods are the best time for us to spend some quality time with our family members. It helps in learning new healthy food recipes to surprise our loved ones. Also, help your children to learn cooking as it could help them in their adulthood. Letting your children choose the vegetables for cooking helps them to choose a healthier lifestyle and also have some fun.

Things to Avoid In Food Practice

Avoid “Too Much Salt”

With the ongoing lockdown scenarios, the scarcity of fresh foods could increase greatly; in such cases, many would go for canned, frozen, and processed foods. Though they are readily available they are rich in salty contents. And too much sodium (salt) in our body could result in some health issues. So it is vital to keep them in check to ensure a safer level of intake. One must be aware of this when it comes to pickled food items. One could also rinse these food items to get rid of such excess salt. Given that, many countries include salt in their culinary practices so it is better to avoid adding any more salt to their cooking as the majority of our body’s salt content comes from our day-to-day regular meal.

Control Your Sugar Intake

Many kinds of research indicate that 5% of our body energy comes with the sugar we consume. So it is ideal to add a limited amount of sugar to our daily meals. However, always prefer fresh fruits first. If not, go for frozen fruits or juice instead of syrup. Also, pay attention to low-fat ads they are generally high in sugars. Limit the level of honey or sugar added to your meals and avoid sweetening agents for healthy eating.

Say “No” to Extra Fat

One of the effective healthy food tips of all time is to avoid Excess fat in food, as it always results in various health complications. Obesity, diabetes, heart diseases are some of the common ones. So keeping your fat intake is mandatory if you want a long healthy life. According to WHO, the total amount of fat intake should be less than 30% of our total body energy consumption. Among which the 10% should be from saturated fat. This could be done with the changed cooking style. Avoid frying the foods and go for steaming, grilling, and sautéing that involves less fat to No fat. This involves avoiding Red and fatty meats, using palm oil, coconut oil, butter, and other dairy products.

Use sunflower oil for cooking. Also Fist and nuts prove to be a better source of unsaturated fat. In terms of processed foods, avoid foods that are rich in Trans fat. Always check the labels for the Trans fat details and choose the low ones. Avoid foods like doughnuts, pie crusts, pizzas, biscuits, crackers, cookies. Keep your preferences for processed foods to Minimal and focus more on healthy food items.

Avoid Alcoholism

Social Drinking or Party celebrations alcohol consumption is in no way healthy. As a Psychoactive compound, it affects your mental health resulting in Anxiety, depression, and Fear, etc. It also makes you addicted, so it is better to avoid them at all costs. Also, it affects your immune system making you vulnerable to other infections and reduces the effect of any medications as well. This must be taken into serious consideration given the covid-19 situations. So Alcohol should never be a part of your healthy lifestyle.

Conclusion

To summarize, it is always better to stick to the home meal and avoid Alcohol, Excess fat, sugar & salt at all times. Always prefer Fresh Vegetables and Fruits to stay healthy and happy with your loved ones.