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Tips and Tricks for Staying Healthy at Home

Published: March 8, 2021

It is still National Nutrition Month®! Our theme this week is staying healthy while staying home.  It can be even more difficult to stay healthy while spending more time at home, but below are some helpful tips to encourage healthy habits while home. I have also included a list of certain foods that have the potential to decrease anxiety and boost your mood.

 

  • Tips for making Food choices that are mindful
    • Make a meal plan for each week . This way you and or members of your household will know what to expect for the week (tip: if you put a magnetic white board on the fridge this is a good place to write out what meals are for the week)
    • Stay connected around a meal. Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime with family and friends. Share recipes or even cook virtually together.
    • Plan for groceries. Try to buy fewer processed, high-salt or high-sugar snacks, consider curbside pick up or delivery options, ordering groceries online can curb impulse purchases and protect you from viruses while promoting social distancing
    • Load up on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
    • Save money. Skip the high-sugar soda and juices; instead flavor water with edible citrus or berries.
    • Plan and enjoy an occasional comfort food for a weekly treat — plan a day where you will have one of your favorite meals.
    • Manage your environment. If candy is simply not around, then you can’t eat it. Have fruits and veggies available for a quick snack. One tip that I find helpful is if I bake cookies or cake I will freeze them so when I want something for dessert I can heat it up or dethaw it. 
  • Reduce anxiety and boost your mood 
    • Citrus fruit and red bell peppers (both rich in vitamin C, which in some studies has been shown to support your immune system)
    • Spices: ginger, garlic, turmeric, and capsaicin (from chili peppers) can be easily added to soups, stews, stir-frys, or salad dressings.
    • Foods rich in zinc such as oysters, clams, mussels, cashews, liver, beef, and egg yolks. You may recognize zinc as an ingredient is the cold remedy Zicam, as zinc has some virus-fighting effects.
    • Magnesium-rich foods may help you to feel calmer, and help support immunity. Stress can deplete our magnesium levels too. Examples are legumes, nuts, seeds, leafy greens, and whole grains.
    • Fatty fish like wild Alaskan salmon contain omega-3 fatty acids. A study on medical students in 2011 was one of the first to show that omega-3s may help reduce anxiety.
    • Eat probiotic-rich foods such as pickles, sauerkraut, miso, and kefir.
    • Add some antioxidants to your anti-anxiety diet, which can support your immune system.

 

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