News — healthylife

We have all experienced times in our life where we have turned to food to provide us with some comfort. Known as ‘emotional eating’, it can take a lot of different forms, from stress eating, to boredom eating, to sad eating. You may be feeling these emotions (plus others, like general uncertainty) to an extra high degree than normal during the current COVID-19 pandemic (which is completely normal, see our last article on ways to keep calm during the COVID-19 pandemic) and it may be causing you to turn to food for comfort and to help take the weight off the current situation.

 But why are we prone to emotional eating during isolation?

Well, first of all, isolation means we are home a lot more, which means we are around food a lot more (without anyone watching). The food in our pantry, in our fridge and freezer, the cake that you may have iso-baked that’s sitting on the counter in full view. If you are now working at home, it’s a big change to suddenly have a kitchen full of food in close proximity to your working space, and can be very distracting! Even if you are not working, not being able to fill your day with activities away from the home means more time spent at home, around food, and this can be very challenging for some people.

Secondly, research shows that comfort foods are in fact comforting to us. For example, a 2006 study published by Physiology & Behavior found that sweet, high calorie comfort foods can provide mood improvements in certain populations. One way they do this is by producing endorphins, which helps to promote feelings of bliss and happiness. But comforting foods that delight our senses and make us feel good don’t have to be only the unhealthy ones, they can also include foods like chilli, bananas, nuts and oranges.

Thirdly, choosing what we want to eat can sometimes give us some control, especially right now when we might be feeling disrupted and without structure to our day. Combined with increased feelings of stress and uncertainty, comfort foods that are high-calorie and low in nutrition (like snacky, junky foods) may be the foods that you are choosing. The message is not about how to avoid those comforting foods, but how you can safely and in a healthy way incorporate some of those foods into your life, without feeling like you need them when you are feeling vulnerable. Plus, who ever said that healthy food can’t be comforting? A slice of cake is nice, but there’s nothing better than a warm bowl of massaman curry with fluffy quinoa and crispy green beans! What are your favourite healthy ‘comfort’ foods or meals? 

Stay tuned next week for some different ways that you can curb those home isolation munchies.

E.L. Gibson. Emotional influences on food choice: sensory, physiological and psychological pathways. Physiol. Behav., 89 (2006), pp. 53-61

It is fair to say that none of us have ever lived through, or faced something like the current COVID-19 global pandemic on such a big scale before. Together as families, as cities and as a country we have faced disasters (such as the Brisbane floods, or the recent bushfires) and we have come together to overcome these challenges. But with something as large as COVID-19, which is affecting the entire world in different ways, it feels almost surreal, uncomfortable and triggering for a lot of us.

If you are feeling a little bit panicked, your head is scrambled or you're feeling unprepared, firstly know that those feelings (and many others) are completely normal to feel.

The following tips might help you to feel a little bit calmer and more collected during this time:

1. Focus on the areas of your life that you can control, and that make you feel calmer and safer

This could be something as simple as planning your meals, planning your workout routine, or even staying organised while you work from home. If an organised and full freezer helps you to feel calm, remember that we are continuing to deliver every Tuesday to all of our Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunny Coast peeps. 

2. Normalise your response

Know that it is normal to feel anxious, or frustrated, or sad. Try to find comfort in the fact that most people in the world are quarantined and self-isolating and we are all connected in this way. Know that we WILL get through this and it won’t last forever. Feel your emotions but also try to tap into the part of you that knows you will get through this.

3. Try not to over-consume on information

Information seems to be being mass produced right now, and a lot of it is being mixed in from the media, from the government and from social media, causing a panic mix of information. Try not to over-consume, but stay informed and check reputable sources once or twice a day to stay updated.

4. Get back to basics (eat, move, rest)

Remember to eat well, and also to eat enough, but not to over-eat.  If you're eating for emotional reasons, is there something else you could do instead?   Try to slow down, stay grounded and listen to your intuition.  Stay connected with friends and family but remember to be careful of too much screen time, especially late at night, Move your body (especially outside in the natural elements where you can soak up some vitamin D), and remember to REST your body.

5. Optimise your immunity

Optimise and boost your immunity through the foods that you eat. Eat all colours of the rainbow, and even if the grocery stores are empty, there are still amazing dried or frozen items you can buy (frozen veggies and fruit, dried beans and legumes, dried mushrooms).

Cook with immune supporting herbs and spices like garlic, ginger, turmeric, rosemary and coriander. Keep your gut calm by practicing mindful eating, getting some probiotics into your diet, doing light exercise, and getting in your Oxygen. Get enough sleep every night so that your body can heal and repair. And something that is very important for the immune system – try to manage your stress levels. Go for a walk, practice a hobby, take a nap, anything that you know will help to make you feel calmer and less stressed.
 
We have lots more tips and ideas related to what’s going on at the moment over on our blog at https://wholesomeness.com.au/blogs/news. Food waste hacks, tips on stocking your fridge and pantry, home remedies for clearing and preventing phlegm and mucus, plus much more.

The current COVID-19 situation is making it a little bit more difficult to find certain items and to visit the grocery store as much as we’d like. That’s why we think this is the best time to start thinking more about reducing our food waste through conscious consumption. There are lots of ways that you can start extending your food and produce and keep your waste as low as possible in the kitchen, such as using up your food scraps, paying a little more love to your ‘funny’ produce, and repurposing your leftovers.

Here are a few of our ideas and tips:

• DIY broth – save your veggie scraps and your odds and ends (like clean carrot tops, kale stalks, potato skins) to make a homemade broth. You can store all your scraps in a bag in the freezer and at the end of the week once it’s full, use it to make broth with some added seasonings and bay leaves. Having a batch of homemade stock on hand will make cooking easier, will help to create less waste by using the scraps you would have normally thrown out, plus you know what’s in it! This is a great way to use up your leftover produce and save money.
• DIY breadcrumbs – use your leftover stale bread to make breadcrumbs! Pulse together in a food processor and use them for toppings, as a binding ingredient or to crumb chicken or fish.
• Freeze your herbs! We all know that fresh herbs go bad very quickly. Remove the leaves from the stems and chop up. Keep them in a freezer bag for easy storage. Leftover coriander can be added to smoothies (it’s a great heavy metal and toxin detoxer).
• Freeze leftover amounts of tomato paste, curry pastes, sauces – avoid putting your jars of opened pastes back in the fridge to go bad, instead you can add them to ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, pop them out and into a freezer bag and label accordingly.
• Love your ‘funny’ produce! Bruised apples are amazing for making apple sauce or apple butter. Soft pears for making ice blocks or smoothies, and bruised bananas for making banana ‘ice cream’ or banana bread.
• Use up those tomatoes! Make your own salsa or pasta sauce like a puttanesca sauce with olives and capers.
• Greens, greens, greens! If you’re having lots of green vegetables go bad, you’re probably not eating them fast enough! Throw them in a blender, juice them, steam them, or make kale chips.

We definitely do not advocate for panic-buying food and supplies right now (especially if you already have enough), as it starts to create a cycle of stocking, depletion and restocking in the supermarkets that is hard to break, as well as potentially leaving others in the community to miss out on important items that they may really need.

It is normal to feel a little shaken and panicked in an uncertain time like this, especially since none of us might have ever experienced something like this in our lifetime.  

In times of extreme uncertainty when fear and feelings of anxiousness may be high, filling the fridge and pantry up with foods and supplies may be the only thing that we feel we can control. It gives us a sense of order and organisation, in a time when we might feel unprepared without a plan. Despite this though, panic-buying and spending lots of money on things you may not need is probably not the best solution. Read on for our tips on stocking your pantry, fridge and freezer the smart way…

• Remember that if you do want to buy a little extra, you only really need two week’s worth of food and supplies as that is how long you would be in quarantine for if you were exposed to COVID-19 (if you are choosing to self-isolate for longer or want to avoid lots of trips to the shops, then certain pantry staples that have a long shelf life will be your friend, read on for examples…).
• Take this extra time at home as an opportunity to give your pantry a big clear out. Before you hit the shops, take a look inside your pantry and evaluate what you have and what you might need. You might just find some hidden gems at the very back that you had forgotten about!
• A little extra supply of sturdy and reliable staples like dried beans, lentils and split peas, grains and frozen veggies can mean endless meal opportunities, with the use of different spices powders and mixes. If there are no frozen fruit or veggies left, you could buy some fresh ones and even freeze them yourself. Having a good supply of nutritious pantry goods that can be spread out for a variety of different meals will be more cost effective and will reduce the amount of shop visits you need to make.
• A few extra packages of pasta, rice and canned goods like beans, chickpeas, coconut milk and diced tomatoes.
• Fresh produce that have a longer shelf life –peppers, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, apples and citrus fruits all have quite a long shelf life and pack a lot of nutrition. Hardy root veggies like potatoes, turnips, beets and radishes can also keep for weeks in a cool, dark place in your pantry.
• Fermented or pickled vegetables like sauerkraut and kimchi can add heaps of flavour and they immediately brighten up any dish, like a rice bowl or even just a sandwich. Dehydrated vegetables (especially dried shiitake mushrooms) to boost the immune system and add umami flavour to soups and broths. Freeze dried herbs for adding freshness, flavour and a pop of colour.
• Last but not least, a stash of hearty Wholesomeness meals in your freezer for those days when you don’t have much on hand, you’re in quarantine and can’t make it to the shops, or you just don’t feel like cooking!

Remember that if we all remain calm and mindful, purchase only what we need, try to help others and check on the elderly and vulnerable when we can, we can get through this together.

These natural home remedies may be good essentials to have in your home during the next few months, not only because of the COVID-19 spread, but also because it is nearing colder weather which means colds and respiratory viruses will be more common (of course if you do get sick, it is always best to see your GP first, especially with the current situation right now). 

Some research suggests that the following can help to treat respiratory viruses that may be responsible for excess mucus:

Berries

Berries contain a flavonoid called anthocyanins, which are beneficial for lung health. Eat berries fresh with yoghurt, on top of cereal or even in salads.

Ginseng

Ginseng is an Asian plant which is very anti-inflammatory. Studies have found it to have a protective effect against acute respiratory illnesses and the potential to reduce the severity and scores of symptoms. You can take ginseng in supplement form or in a tonic.

Guava

Guava is rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, potassium and fibre. Guava has found to be effective for control of different respiratory viruses. Guava is super yummy and sweet and you can eat it fresh.  

Echinacea

Echinacea is a plant herb loaded with antioxidants, as well as compounds called alkamides, which further enhance antioxidant activity. Evidence has found that Echinacea can help your immune system fight off respiratory viruses and colds, helping to make the recovery process shorter. Echinacea can be taken in supplement form.  

Licorice root

Licorice root helps the body to produce healthy mucus, which helps support the healthy functioning of your respiratory system. You can consume it in the form of tea, which can usually be found at your local health store.

Pomegranate

Pomegranate juice contains potent antioxidant power, as well as being antibacterial and antiviral. You can eat pomegranate fresh by breaking it open and consuming the seeds.

Zinc – take a supplement

Zinc has been shown to stop certain viruses from lodging in the mucus membranes of the throat and nose. You can take zinc in supplement form.

Drink plenty of water at room temperature – not ice cold, as it can make the mucus in your sinuses thicker, and more difficult to pass. A glass of warm water or a cup of tea is a good way to get your water intake in when you’re sick.

(This information is general only.  Please speak to your healthcare professional prior to taking multiple new supplements).