Managing Weight and an Immune Friendly Diet

With regular day to day stressors, it’s already hard to maintain your weight and a healthy diet. Now we have to try doing it during a global pandemic! Well, we’re here to help guide you in these troubled times. It can be difficult to stay on track of what you’re eating when you’re stuck in the house. Boredom and lack of motivation seem to be the biggest causes of eating unhealthy. Most people tend to overeat and snack when bored or lose motivation to cook their own food. Some people don’t know what to cook, while others have a hard time making the time for it.

One rule of thumb to help you maintain a healthy weight during quarantine is to meal prep and plan your meals according to time. Limit yourself to eating only three times a day at the same time every day. Keep a log of what you are eating so you can switch it up the following week if you get bored easily. This routine will help you cut out snacking when you’re bored and give you a set schedule to plan your day. If you do feel the urge to snack, drink some water or hydrate yourself. Most of the time our body is just dehydrated rather than hungry.

If you have trouble deciding what to make to eat try to remember the more colorful your plate is the better (1). For example, add assorted peppers, broccoli, and tomatoes to your dishes. Remember to eat healthy fats like avocados, salmon or tuna. If you do give into your snacking urges, keep fresh fruit or nuts on hand. Also, eat foods high in fiber such as whole grains. Try swapping out white rice for brown rice or quinoa and eat whole wheat bread or oatmeal.

Another helpful tip to maintain your weight during quarantine is limiting the amount of times you order take-out food. It can be very tempting to have someone cook for you and prepare all your food but most of the time this food isn’t healthy. Try limiting it to once a week, if anything. Make cooking and meal prepping an activity to do with your family or significant other or do it virtually through Zoom or FaceTime with a friend.

One more thing to consider during COVID-19 is your immune health. Keeping your immunity high is just as important as maintaining a healthy weight. Remember to take vitamins daily like “One a Day”, which you can find at your local pharmacy or grocery store. Some foods that are known to help boost your immune system are high in zinc and vitamin C such as oranges, strawberries, and shellfish. If you like making smoothies, you can corporate different fruits such as bananas, strawberries, spinach and ginger, which all help boost your immunity. If you feel like you can’t get around to eating these foods every day, try a vitamin C supplement such as “Emergen-C”, which you can find at a local grocery store or pharmacy.

Try these helpful tips to maintain a healthy lifestyle during these uncertain times. Even if you can’t get around to doing every single one, incorporating just a few can make all the difference.

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