The Unhealthiest Eating Habits
During the Pandemic
Follow Jennifer Maldonado
The Unhealthiest Eating Habits During the Pandemic
Living through this time of mass
uncertainty that is a pandemic, it's easy to fall into unhealthy habits,
especially when it comes to eating. After all, you're staying at home, so it's easy to turn to comfort food while you stay put on the couch
binging another TV show. While this is totally OK to do, you still want to try and make the healthiest choices you
possibly can when it comes to your eating habits.
We spoke to registered dietitians
to find out what exactly are the unhealthiest eating habits you want to avoid.
1. Forgetting the fresh fruits and vegetables.
Trips to the grocery store might
be happening less often, but you should still want to grab some fresh produce
if you can. Don't be fearful of eating fruits and veggies during
this time, either.
"Although canned and frozen fruits and vegetables are absolutely healthy,
many people have been afraid to eat fresh produce. With 1 in 10 Americans not
meeting the recommended daily amount of produce, all forms should be consumed.
COVID-19 is not a foodborne illness and there are no cases that have been transmitted through food,"
says Toby
Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, FAND award-winning nutrition expert and Wall
Street Journal best-selling cookbook author of The Create-Your-PlateDiabetes Cookbook.
There are plenty of ways to jazz
up vegetables you've stocked up on so your meals won't ever get boring.
"I know groceries might be
sparse right now, but I can bet your supermarket or box store has at least a
handful of veggie options for you to purchase. As usual, all forms of
vegetables count—fresh, canned, or frozen—so make sure they are on your order
list. To liven them up, add flavorful sauces, steam frozen veggies then saute
to turn them crispy, or blanch and preserve some fresh ones even, says CaseySeiden, MS, RD, CDN, DCES.
2. Mindlessly snacking.
Finding yourself munching on
snacks? This is something many people are struggling with that you're going to
want to actively try and avoid.
"When you're stuck in your
house all day, you may find yourself grabbing bites and handfuls of snacks in your pantry. This can lead to unhealthy eating
habits, overeating, and weight gain," says Amidor.
Seiden agrees and explains that
if you really are actually hungry quite often, which is leading you to
snacking, your meals might just need a bit of a makeover.
"When we are grazing every
hour or so, the body doesn't quite get the chance to settle down in between
eating occasions, which can be a lot for your blood sugars and other hormone
levels," she says. "Constant snacking also leads me to suspect that
your meals are lacking in some fiber, protein, or fat to keep you feeling fuller for longer. Instead, try to focus
on having three balanced meals and two to three snacks per day."
And if possible, you'll want to
make sure the one place housing all the snacks isn't in your line of sight.
Yes, we're talking about the kitchen.
"Sit not facing the kitchen,
or in another room if possible (out of sight, out of mind). Have a set time for
your snacks, [too]," says Rachel Paul, PhD, RD from CollegeNutritionist.com.
And for more tips, check
out Here's Exactly How to Stay Your Healthiest While You're Stuckat Home.
3. Ignoring hunger cues.
Find yourself eating just because
it gives you something to do? Sorry, but that's one activity you're going to
want to cut back on and instead, focus on listening to your body telling you when it's
time to eat.
"Things in your world are
likely totally out of whack, but one thing you can always come back to is
trying to tune into your own hunger and fullness cues. When you might be less
busy with work and battling boredom it's easy to turn to food as an activity
when you really aren't even hungry," says Seiden. "What I recommend
is hitting 'pause' when reaching for the snacks and assessing if food is what
you truly need right now, or if reading a book or painting your nails would
satisfy you instead."
So what can do you when you feel
like grabbing a snack when you know you're not actually hungry? Paul suggests,
you "create a list of at least 10 fun things you can do instead of eating
when you're not hungry" so that way you're doing something you enjoy,
which will take your mind off food.
Want an easy way to keep up with
your fitness goals? Well, The Secret to a Perfect At-Home Workout Is In Your KitchenPantry.
4. Emotionally eating.
"People are bored, restless,
anxious, or scared (or have other emotions) which can lead to emotional eating,
even when you're not hungry and overeating," says Amidor.
So how can you best keep your
emotions in check before they wreck your eating habits? Amidor suggests using
"a hunger scale to check if you are truly hungry. The scale should be from
0-10 (10 being very hungry) to gauge how hungry you truly are. If it is less
than 5 or 6, and you find yourself looking for food because of emotions then
find another outlet" to best channel and process how you're feeling.
5. Not having a set start and
stop time for work.
If you're lucky enough to be able
to work from home during this pandemic, you're going to want to keep things as
normal as possible.
"Without the commute of
going to and from work, it's easy to let work start as soon as you get up, and
continue just before you go to bed," Paul says. "Have a set schedule
of work hours—you'll be more productive."
And you won't fall victim to
eating snacks in front of your computer as you work into the night instead of
logging off at a decent time so you can cook yourself a solid meal.
Find yourself coming up with
unique food combinations? You're not alone! Here are The Weirdest Quarantine Snacks People are Making at Home.
6. Not having set meal times.
Paul says that "to help
further with your daily schedule, [it's best to] create a time for breakfast,
lunch, snack, and dinner." This, along with "avoid[ing] the kitchen
[and] pantry other times of the day" that are outside your schedule,
according to Amidor, will best help you avoid overeating.
7. Not drinking enough.
It's always important to drink
plenty of water, but this is especially true when you're living the quarantine
life.
"We can feel a lot more
sluggish, hungry, and irritable when we aren't adequately hydrated," says
Seiden. "Starting the day with a coffee is great, but try to schedule in a
glass of water every 2-3 hours to ensure you're meeting your hydration
needs." And here's exactly How to Make Sure You're Drinking Enough Water While You'reStuck at Home.
8. Sitting for too long.
Again, everyone is spending more
time inside, so it's natural you're not getting as much physical activity as
you typically would. But you want to avoid sitting for too long.
So how can you best combat this?
"Stand at a kitchen counter,
use a stability ball as a chair (to work your core), [or even] find a walking
video on YouTube to get a few thousand steps in (in 15 minutes!)," Paul
suggests.
9. Giving up on all healthy foods.
Turning to comfort foods right now is understandable, but at the
same time, you don't want to completely abandon healthy eating habits and
eating, well, ofoods that are genuinely good for you.
"Although we are quarantined
at home, that doesn't mean that healthy habits should fall wayside. Eating your
boxed favorites like mac and cheese is OK, but giving up on all eating habits
will not keep your body in tip-top shape to fight off any illness," says
Amidor. "Opt for your favorite unhealthy packaged or comfort foods, but
complement it with healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and
other healthy foods. Healthy eating is possible."
10. Hoarding food.
Although as Amidor points out,
"it is recommended to stash up on food for two weeks in order to minimize
trips to the market" as a way to "minimize contact with others
(including food shopping) as this will minimize the risk of contracting the
virus," you shouldn't feel the need to buy out everything in the store.
Can you really eat every banana you see in the store that quickly anyway?
"People are stocking up on
food as they are scared they won't be able to get their hands on any. However,
the food supply is safe and there is plenty of food available," Amidor
says.
And for what you shouldn't stock
up on, here are 15 'Healthy' Foods You Shouldn't Eat During a Pandemic.
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