With the COVID 19 pandemic keeping us homebound, these few weeks have caused quite a ripple in our daily lives. While the scientists and medical experts around the world are racing against time to find a vaccine to fight the battle, as responsible citizens, we must adhere to all the rules and guidelines given by the government by staying at home as much as possible.
On the other hand, one must make the best out of this lockdown and spend time at home with family. It is a good opportunity to cook healthy meals at home to sustain your family members’ health, revitalize energy, and refrain from ordering outside food. Even with limited ingredients at home, one must try to cook nutritious food for a healthy mind to get through this difficult time and support each other. It is important to figure out ‘what to eat’ to keep our immunity intact and be well organized about our diet & health goals. We need to raise our spirits to adopt a simple lifestyle.
Prakash Kumar, Executive Chef at The Woodrose says, a healthy mind will keep one happy, so it is important to be disciplined and practice meditation, yoga, or any form of workout that will keep one fit. Drinking 2 glasses of water on an empty stomach after you wake up in the morning by adding lemon juice and mint is a good option and effective as well.
Lemon is a good source of antioxidant and mint will keep one fresh which is good for metabolism. There are several benefits of doing this, in today’s scenario says Mr. Nayeem Ulla Khan, Certified Fitness Instructor at The Woodrose. He says staying active in this difficult time is important and a minimum workout of 30 – 45 minutes thrice a week is a must. Both Chef Prakash and Mr. Nayeem suggest to work out like brisk walk, jogging, climbing the stairs, lunges, planks, calf raising, squats, push-ups, sit-ups and the like that are strengthening exercises and one should include in their daily routine for a good mental and physical well being. Eating on time is a good practice and preparing a timetable/chart for food will help one to follow. For instance, breakfast should be at 8 am, lunch by 12:30 pm and dinner by 8 pm. It is also advisable to eat meals in small portions and that frequent eating at every two-three hours is healthier than eating heavy meals at once. Mr. Nayeem mentions to compare the food & workout and see what suits best for a balanced body & mind. Keep yourself hydrated and drink a minimum of 3 liters of water in a day. According to Chef Prakash, it is important to buy fresh & leafy vegetables and include them in one of the meals depending on the time of consumption and suggests keeping dinner light by opting food like Idli/ Dosa/ Chapati.
Mr. Nayeem says, every form of food that goes into the body matters and makes a huge difference. A healthy mind will lead to a balanced psychological and physical wellbeing. Stress eating will make you feel bloated and if not slept well, the body will feel lethargic leaving you tired with a dull mind. According to Chef Prakash, consumption of fibrous vegetables and leafy vegetables like simple Palya or Poriyal, well-cooked rice are a few options that can help you maintain a balanced mind and physical health. Including whole wheat Chapati/Phulka, Sambar with vegetables, Rasam, Ragi ball, Curd items like raita, buttermilk after food for digestion, Lemon juice or lemonade, mojito with watermelon, fresh fruit juices, fresh Vegetable or sprouted moong dal Salads with lemon based dressing are good food options to reduce stress. Mr. Nayeem suggests dancing is the best way to reduce stress or even walking around helps.
There are many food options that can control the stress and some are Curd based food like curd rice, Yellow Banana (Yelakhi), Carrot base food (either a sabji/palya or carrot and ginger juice or raw carrot as salad), Leafy vegetables like Palak, Arugula, Lettuce and beverages like Lemon Tea, Turmeric milk, Almonds and Chocolate based drinks. But above all, eating home-cooked food is the best option no matter what you cook since isolation does lead to stress eating and one ends up eating junk food like two-minute noodles, chips, fries, and order food from outside since it is readily available. To consume healthy eating during the time of isolation, one should avoid cookies, ice cream, junk food, Potato, Arbi and Yam, sugar base products, egg yolk, aerated drinks, and maida based food are extremely harmful. Apart from following the right food habit, it is important to stay active, and positive. The psychological and physical well-being goes hand in hand as one reflects over the other.
