Here we are in a pandemic – something very different and unsettling to our lives and routines.  In many ways, we are asked to wait or pause.  We didn’t even think we could put things on hold like this, but here we are. There are some things that don’t go on pause, like eating. My question to you is, “What are you eating?”

The problem with ‘comfort food’

We have many ways to manage this time.  While we feel our actions are restricted, we might let go of good choices in eating.  Our logic could be that we are behaving by keeping our distance, so we can justify misbehaving with our diet! Perhaps you’re trying to handle emotional stress through food, but usually these ‘comfort foods’ are not good food choices for our bodies and can actually decrease our ability to cope with stress, anxiety and depression.

I worry when I hear people turning to comfort food:  macaroni and cheese, pizza, deep fried foods, baked sweet goods, processed junk foods. You may feel some immediate satisfaction emotionally, but nutritionally there is usually a void. When you eat these comfort foods, you probably tend to overeat as well.  That’s because the body is still looking for nutrition.  These foods do not increase our ability to cope during this pandemic pause, but rather they weaken our bodies and immune systems.

Here are some tasty ideas to prepare good quality foods:

• Roast a chicken or seasoned flattened chicken.  While that is cooking, add to the oven cauliflower and yams lightly coated with grapeseed oil and unrefined sea salt (remove these when they are soft).  Once the chicken is roasted, serve yourself a variety of foods:  the chicken, roasted vegetables.  Add to that quinoa or brown rice and pour salad dressing over whatever you desire.  Other toppings could be tahini thinned with water and sea salt.  Add fresh herbs, some raw vegetables, hummus or guacamole.  There will be lots of colour and great flavor!
• Have a salad every day – I make 2 or 3 at a time so that getting variety does not take time every day.  Romaine is my favorite lettuce.  I rinse it and put it in the frig overnight.  When I use it the next day, magic has happened so that the lettuce has renewed itself and is very crunchy.
• Here’s my recipe I created this month Basil Lemon salad dressing:
  • 1 cup of olive oil
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 clove fresh grated garlic
  • 1 tbsp prepared mustard
  • 3 shakes Herbamare (unrefined sea salt). 
  • I combine it all in a blender and blend for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Raw fruit and vegetables provide us with enzymes essential for the best digestion.
• When you have animal protein at each meal, like an egg, poultry or fish and add vegetables, your craving for other lower nutrition foods will be greatly reduced.

Also, adopt a habit of walking every day.  Walking increases the metabolic rate.  If you walk within 15 minutes of eating, you get the best results.  It actually decreases blood sugars, helps maintain or lose weight and creates better sleep.

Feel free to contact me for even more nutrition information or some more of my favourite recipes.