With many people spending more time at home than ever, now is a great opportunity to reset our nutrition habits. We have more time, we can try new foods and recipes, we can embrace family mealtimes and we can become inspired about good food and nutrition.

 Tips for Successful Nutrition from Home

  • Set up your kitchen for easy choices. For example, have salad ingredients prepped in the crisper, low-fat yoghurt pre-portioned into containers, have a fruit bowl out in the middle of the table, store junk foods out of sight.
  • Set regular mealtimes and avoid mindlessly grazing
  • Sit down at the table for meals without distractions. You are more likely to over-eat and feel less satisfied by your meal if you eat at your desk or in front of the TV.  
  • Check why you eat eating – are you hungry? Are you bored? Stressed? Anxious?
  • Practise eating mindfully – eating slowly, savour your food and monitoring how hungry you feel
  • If you are going to do some baking, who is going to eat them all? Consider halving the recipe or baking single-portion recipes (like brownie-in-a-mug)
  • Watch your alcohol intake, especially during this period. Alcohol is self-medicating and habit forming, it increases feelings of anxiety and can lead to poorer sleep.

Building Your Healthy Plate

1.      Prioritise vegetables – aim for half of your recipe, chopping board and plate to be vegetables

2.      Pick a protein – fish, chicken, lean red meat, lentils, egg, tofu

3.      Choose a lower GI carbohydrate – corn, sweet potato, pasta, quinoa, grain bread

4.      Add a splash of healthy fat – olive oil, small amount of avocado, sprinkle of seeds or crushed nuts

 

Is there anything I can do to boost my immune system?

Many products or supplements claim they can ‘boost’ your immune system. Most of these are not scientifically proven. Every part of your body, including your immune system, functions better when you are following a healthy lifestyle, so now is the perfect time to practise these healthy habits:

    • Exercise regularly
    • Eat a nutritious and balanced diet
    • Get enough sleep
    • Limit alcohol intake
    • Manage your stress levels

Should we be disinfecting our food?

There is currently no good evidence to suggest transmission from food is one of the major routes. But there are a few sensible things you can do when it comes to food:

    • Wash your hands before eating and before/during/after cooking
    • Keep your kitchen benches clean, spray down between food preparation
    • For foods you eat raw, like fruit and veggies, wash thoroughly with warm water. NOT with detergent or soap or bleach – these products are not approved for food and could do more harm than good.