By Dr. Deepti Bagree
National Head- Healthcare Division, RESET – Holistic Living Concepts
The quarantine period can both affect work and health. It’s important to lift up the spirits and stay healthy but many of us are not sure of how to do it when gyms are shut, activity levels have dropped and availability of food essentials are limited as well.
Most of us try watching movies, listening to music, reading best-selling books or just napping to cut time. However these can come to the temporary rescue and just improve our mood adding further to sedentary time.
What needs to be worked on is the food choices as that will not only lift up our mood but also nutrients from the food we choose help in improving health and overall well-being.
Here are a Few Foods that can help to keep us on Health Track:
- omega 3 rich foods: increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, choose fatty fish over any other varieties, add nuts like almonds, walnuts, from seeds opt for Flax and chia seeds, as these are easily available at home and also keeps you full for longer. These also help improve brain function by strengthening brain cells and cell signaling to deal with quarantine time
- Banana: the most versatile fruit that we always look out for when hungry as it’s full of energy-boosting nutrients
- Fermented foods: like idlis, dosas, sauerkraut, kefir, yoghurt, buttermilk, kimchi, homemade pickles (with less oils), etc are rich in probiotics ie. good bacteria. They help improve immunity by strengthening the gut. Immunity being the need of the hour and also making these fermented doesn’t need elaborate ingredients.
- Oats: are rich in fibres that act as fuel to the gut bacteria. It can be used as an instant breakfast option that keeps you full for long along with supplying important nutrients to the body
- Berries: These tiny powerhouses of antioxidants and vitamins help reduce inflammation by scavenging free radicals that are formed in these times of panic. Reducing these inflammatory radicals from the body helps improve overall health.
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, etc are not only rich in plant-based proteins but also a good source of fibres and good fats that help sustain energy levels for long.
- Beans and lentils are a rich source of B complex vitamins that helps increase levels of neurotransmitters like GABA, serotonin, dopamine, all of which are important for staying strong in these times of emergency and panic. They also have a long shelf life and so when vegetable supply is limited beans, pulses and lentils come to rescue.
- Vitamin D: the sunshine vitamin helps improve brain health, gut health, bone health and many more. This is inexpensive and abundantly available. Foods like fortified milk, cheese, etc have some Vitamin D however the best is to take direct sunlight. 7 am -10 am is the best time for sunlight exposure as the harmful UV rays are minimum during these hours
Some of the healthy snack options that are power-packed with nutrients:
- Vegetable sticks with hummus: using cucumber, carrots, zucchini, radish sticks, etc along with hummus. Hummus Recipe: boiled chickpeas grind to paste. Make a paste of white sesame seeds with cold-pressed virgin olive oil. Mix this paste into boiled chickpeas paste, add salt and grind further into a smooth paste. The recipe is a good source of proteins, fiber antioxidants, vitamins and minerals from vegetables.
- Gluten-free toast with guacamole: use millet bread (Jowar/bajra/ragi etc). Guacamole recipe: a scoop of a ripe avocado pulp mix with chopped onions, tomatoes, green chilies. Add salt to taste and lemon juice. Garnish with coriander leaves. The recipe is a combination of good carbs and healthy fats
- Sprouts bhel: take a cup of boiled or steamed sprouts. Add chopped onions, tomato, capsicum, bell pepper, zucchini, green chillies. Add lemon juice and salt to taste. This is a perfect protein, fibre, vitamin, and mineral-rich snack
- Apple-peanut sandwich: cut apple into circular rings. Take unsweetened peanut butter. Apply a teaspoon on a slice of apple place another slice on top of it apple peanut butter and repeat the process once 4-5 layers are done. This snack is especially popular amongst kids. It’s rich in protein, healthy fats, good carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals
- Smoothie: 1 glass of nut butter add a tablespoon of oats, a tsp of cacao powder blend together and top with chopped berries. The snack is an excellent pre-workout meal too and full of good carbs, healthy fats, and antioxidants from berries. Oats also adds some amount of protein to the option
- Sweet potato-sattu tiki: mash boiled sweet potato, add grated vegetables like carrot, cabbage, capsicum and add sattu powder to bind into tikis. Add spices as per taste like salt, garam masala, turmeric powder. Shallow fry tikis in cold-pressed oil until golden. Serve with coriander mint chutney. The recipe is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, and fibres.
Small lifestyle changes can bring about large health benefits especially in these times of global emergency.