Nutrition Under Stress

Stress and good choices usually don’t go hand in hand. Despite the appearance of grocery store shelves, we are not in dire nutritional straits. Fresh produce and meat are still in supply, though the recent snowstorm isn’t helping to keep the shelves stocked. And we live in the age of delivery services.

Availability might change (thank you hoarders) or you may find less variety when using grocery delivery services. However, prioritizing your nutrition is still important. Yes, there is the obvious goal of supporting your immune system. But your mental and emotional wellbeing is just as important and “self-love” with ice cream or a giant bowl of pasta will only work for so long. You need to take care of yourself!

Here are some tips to help keep your nutrition on track:

-Get fresh produce and meat. In a recent report, we have plenty of food in the US and there are no disruptions in our food supply chain, so keep eating as much of a variety of fresh vegetables, fruits and meats as you normally do.

-Frozen produce is just as healthy! If you are concerned about continued access, frozen fruits and vegetables are just as healthy as their fresh counterparts and budget-friendly.

-Canned produce is better than no produce. There are concerns about certain chemicals leaching into the food they contain. However, this is a temporary situation and relying on canned goods for the time being probably won’t have any long-term health effects.

-It’s not perfect, but it doesn’t have to be terrible. Don’t let perfect get in the way of good. Maybe “hitting your macros” isn’t a reality right now, but you don’t have to give up making the best of what’s available. Just like life before the coronavirus, some days will be more consistent than others, some won’t but you are worth the effort!

-This will be over! It might be over in three weeks or three months, but eventually, life will start to return to normal. So don’t throw in the towel on your food now!

Oh yeah, and stay active! Many gyms across the country have made the difficult but responsible decision to close their doors. There are numerous online resources for home workouts. If you need help with scales or modification ideas, please reach out. We are happy to help!