1- Make a shopping plan
The most important behavior observed during the pandemic process is to go out of need by purchasing excessive food. Multiple cases of overbought have been observed across the World Health Organization, particularly in the European Region. Panic and buying behavior can cause many negative situations. As a result of the decrease in food stocks, negative consequences such as increase in food prices and uneven distribution of products may occur. You may feel the need to purchase large quantities of food, but be sure to consider and use foods that are in your pantry and foods with shorter shelf lives. This way you can avoid wasting food and allow others to access the food they need.
2- Be strategic about food consumption
In the consumption of foods, prefer the fresh ones first and let the foods with short shelf life be your priority. If you have fresh produce, especially fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products in your closet, make them a priority over perishable products. Frozen fruits and vegetables can be used for longer periods and generally have a similar nutrient profile to fresh foods . To avoid wasting food, consider freezing leftovers for another meal.
3- Prepare homemade meals
In normal daily life, people complain that they do not have time to cook. Spending longer time at home during the quarantine process can provide you with the opportunity for homemade healthy recipes . You can make meals that will increase your immunity with recipes from internet recipes or cookbooks that you can easily access.
4- Be aware of portion sizes
Portion control can be difficult, especially after cooking foods in their raw form. Situations such as away from office environments, working from home, inactivity may cause you to eat excessively. According to your daily needs, the portion amounts are 2-3 servings of milk group (200 ml / 1 portion), 3-4 portions of fruit groups (100-150 g / portion), 2 portions of vegetable groups (8-10 spoons / portion), 5 -7 portion bread group (3 spoons / portion; for rice / pasta group, 25 gr / portion for bread groups), 3-7 portion meat group (for 1 piece / portion egg, 30 gr / portion cheese, red meat, white for meat, chicken, fish). Every individual’s needs are different. The above values represent an average. You can plan your portion sizes in the company of a nutritionist to suit you.
5- Restrict salt intake
The availability of fresh food may decrease during the quarantine process and therefore it may become necessary to rely more on canned, frozen or processed food. Many of these foods contain high levels of salt. The World Health Organization recommends consuming less than 5 grams of salt per day. Prioritize foods with no added salt or reduced salt in order to adjust the daily salt intake. You may also consider rinsing canned foods like vegetables and beans to remove some of the excess sodium. Remember that pickled foods often contain high levels of sodium. In many countries, 50-75% of our salt intake comes from the food we eat rather than add it to ourselves. Avoid adding extra salt to your meals while cooking and at the table as you may already be consuming enough salt. Instead of,You can try adding fresh or dried herbs and spices to add flavor .
6- Restrict sugar consumption
The World Health Organization recommends that less than 5% of total energy intake for adults should ideally come from free sugars (about 6 teaspoons). Fresh fruit should be a priority if you want to consume a sweet food. Frozen fruits, canned fruit in juice instead of syrup, and dried fruit without added sugar are also good options. D dairy desserts such as spindle run sweet options can be selected, it can be cooked with a little sugar or sweetener. Watch out for low-fat options in packaged foods as they are often rich in added sugar . The fact that it is written without sugar or added sugar does not mean that the food is sugar free. Usually the addition of syrup is added. Therefore, be careful to read the label.Limit the amount of sugar or honey added to food and avoid sweetening your drinks.
7- Restrict your fat consumption
Fats are the most energetic foods. Consuming fatty foods during the quarantine process can cause weight problems due to excessive energy intake or increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The World Health Organization, of the total energy intake of total fat intake to less than 30% (2000 kcal for a person who needs about 600 kcalmay come from fats) suggests limiting. To achieve this, choose cooking methods that require less or no fat, such as steaming, grilling, or sautéing food instead of frying. Reduce excess fat from meat and poultry and choose skinless options, especially to limit saturated fat consumption. Reduce foods like red and fatty meats, butter and whole dairy products, palm oil, coconut oil, fat.
8- Consume enough pulp
The pulp contributes to a healthy digestive system and helps prevent overeating by providing a long-lasting feeling of satiety. Aim to include vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grain foods in all meals to ensure adequate fiber intake . You can consume grain-based options such as oats, whole wheat pasta, quinoa, and whole wheat bread rather than whole grain foods, white pasta, rice and refined grain foods like white bread .
9- Consume enough water
Good hydration is essential for optimal health . Tap water is the healthiest and cheapest drink when it is suitable and safe for consumption . Drinking water instead of sugar-sweetened drinks is a simple way to limit your sugar and excess calorie intake. If you cannot consume the water alone, cucumber such as fresh or frozen fruits or citrus slices or herbs such as mint, lavender or rosemary can be added to increase the flavor.
Avoid drinking large amounts of strong coffee, strong tea, and especially caffeinated soft drinks and energy drinks. It dehydration (thirst) can cause sleep can affect the layout and negatively.
10- Do not consume or limit alcohol consumption
Depending on the amount of alcohol consumption, it weakens the immune system . Therefore, alcohol consumption, and especially heavy consumption , weakens your body ‘s ability to cope with infectious diseases, including COVID-19 . It is generally advisable to avoid alcohol , but especially when the snow is in the antina state . As a psychoactive substance, alcohol also affects your mental state and decision-making, making you more vulnerable to risks such as falls, injury or violence while in quarantine with someone else. Alcohol consumption is also known to increase symptoms of depression, anxiety , fear and panic – isolationand symptoms that may intensify during quarantine. Alcohol also makes some medications less effective while increasing the potency and toxicity of others . In combination with pain medication, as alcohol will interfere with your liver function and can cause serious problems, including liver failure .
Under no circumstances should you consume any alcoholic product as a preventive or therapeutic measure against COVID-19.
resources
- 1. World Health Organization, Covid-19 Quarantine Nutrition Guidelines, 2020 June.
- 2. Giovanna Muscogiuri , Luigi Barrea , Silvia Savastano & Annamaria Colao . Nutritional recommendations for COVID-19 quarantine . European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 74, pages 850–851 (2020).
