Terri Ramsey Beavers As more and more households self-isolate, it’s essential to create a healthy home for everyone. Indeed, when you’re going to be stuck indoors for weeks and months, you need to focus on the best ways to protect yourself. You need a place that boosts your mental health.
From maximizing natural lights to keeping your home clutter-free, there’s a variety of tips and tricks that make your house into a happy environment. However, who says happy also says indulgence. Do you remember the last time you spent weeks at home surrounded by joyful feelings and your relatives? It was Christmas. And if there’s one thing we all know about the Christmas self-imposed holiday isolation, it’s that it’s the most fattening period of the year! Life in self-isolation can rapidly turn into a food marathon if you’re not careful.
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The boredom eater
Urgh, stuck indoors. I don’t know what to do.
And the next second, you find yourself sitting on the sofa with a pack of cookies on your lap. Wait, where did the cookies come from in the first place? You don’t remember taking them out of the pantry. Yes, you’re a boredom eater. When you don’t know what to do, you naturally grab for food as a way of killing time. Curbing out the bad habit requires some work, but if you drink a glass of water each time you crave a cookie, you’re likely to get things under control. Besides, there’s plenty to do! Read a book or follow a home workout video!
The ‘I’m never going to have enough for everyone’ eater
The problem with stockpiling is that it can induce panic-cooking. It’s not uncommon to cook way more than you need because your mind can’t work out the portions anymore. It’s a surprisingly common reaction to self-isolation. People cook and eat too much. But there’s a simple solution to it. Go back to your favorite recipe books and follow the portion sizes. If you’re worried it still won’t be enough to feed everyone; try recipes that are naturally filling, such as this weight watchers taco soup recipe . Planning plenty of time for meal preparation means you can enjoy all the goodness of a slow-cooked dinner, which can feed a crowd with only a handful of ingredients.
The ‘it’s all I could find’ eater
We get it. Stockpiling is the new shopping trend. Understandably, you can struggle to find some of your typical pantry staples. Pasta, tins of tomatoes, fresh meat, and fish are some of the first things that disappear from the shops. It’s not that there is not enough food available – there is plenty. But people buy quicker than shops can restock the aisles. As a result, you need to diversify your diet to get all the essential vitamins, minerals, and proteins. Here’s a tip: You won’t find any useful nutrients in your stockpiled packs of chips, cookies, and snacks. Instead, think outside the box! Legumes, grains, frozen or fresh veggies, and nuts, are all great alternatives!
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Self-isolating is the best you can do for your health, but it can also be the worst too. Don’t let your quarantine influence your eating habits. Now’s not the time to self-indulge or overeat. You need to keep your immune system strong!